FAIRFAX, Va. (Sept. 5, 2008) – Liberty hit .483 and Saint Francis struggled to an .098 hitting percentage as the Flames downed the Red Flash women's volleyball team 3-0 in the opening match of the Patriot Invitational on Friday.

Tournament-host George Mason defeated Saint Francis 3-0 later in the afternoon. SFU will continue play at the Patriot Invitational at 12 p.m. on Saturday when it takes on New Mexico. The Red Flash will play La Salle later in the day at 4 p.m.

Junior Shirley Miller (Fairless Hills, PA/Pennsbury) (Fairless Hills, Pa. / Pennsbury) had a team high 8 kills and 4 digs in the 25-16, 25-10, 25-16 loss versus Liberty. Senior Kristin Buter (Bowie, MD/Bowie) (Bowie, Md. / Bowie) pitched in with 6 kills, and junior Rikki Myers (Noblesville, IN/Westfield) (Noblesville, Ind. / Westfield) had 22 assists.

In the 25-16, 25-13, 25-21 loss against the Patriots, Buter had 11 kills, 3 digs and 2 blocks, and Miller contributed 8 kills and 4 digs. Sophomore Alexa Ebert (Titusville, PA/Titusville) (Titusville, Pa. / Titusville) dished out 19 assists. George Mason hit .338 in the match, while SFU hit just .036.