Box Score

LORETTO, Pa. (Oct. 9, 2011) – The Saint Francis University women's volleyball team snapped a four-game losing streak Sunday afternoon at DeGol Arena, downing visiting Bryant 3-2 (17-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-19, 15-7) in a Northeast Conference showdown.
 
Similar to the previous days match against Central Connecticut State, the Red Flash (7-14, 2-4) dropped the opening set to visiting Bryant (9-13, 3-4), but prevailed in the end with a convincing fifth set win.
 
In the opening set, Saint Francis fell behind 10-4 early on and struggled to string points together to pull out the comeback win, giving Bryant the edge to start the match.
 
Saint Francis put down a match-high 15 kills as a team in the second set to help them even the match at one set apiece. With a fairly comfortable 20-16 lead late in the set, the Bulldogs picked up three points in a row, before head coach Chuck Mullen called a timeout to get his team refocused. Coming out of the timeout, the Red Flash tallied five of the last seven points scored in the set.
 
With a related feel to the first set, SFU fell behind early and could not find ways to recover. Bryant held an 18-10 advantage halfway through, and even though the Flash rallied for seven of the next 10 points scored, it was not enough and the Bulldogs eyed up the match victory heading into the fourth set.
 
Set number four remained evenly matched throughout most of the action as Saint Francis held a small 17-16 lead nearing the end of the set. Thanks to kills from a variety of players and a few attack errors by the Bulldogs, the Flash pulled out the win to force the match into a fifth and final set.
 
The Red Flash proved to be too much for Bryant in the last set, taking an 8-4 lead before the team's switched sides of the court for the final run of the match. Saint Francis only allowed Bryant to earn three more points in the set as they captured the final set win and the match victory, their second conference win.
 
Junior Amanda Zahumensky (Sarver, Pa./Freeport Area) picked up her fourth double-double of the season, and her second in a row, as she put down a match-high 17 kills and added 12 digs, the same total she had against CCSU the day prior. Fellow juniors Lauren Wingard (York, Pa./Dallastown Area) and Elizabeth Williams (North Bend, Ohio/Saint Ursula) also reached double digits in kills as Wingard registered 15 and Williams snagged 13. Williams posted three service aces and five total blocks as well on the day.
 
Setter Kierstin Kiser (Clarion, Pa./Clarion) set a new season-high for assists with an impressive 55 during today's match. Sophomores Breanna Kochinsky (Nicktown, Pa./Northern Cambria) and Brittany Stambaugh (Leola, Pa./Conestoga Valley) led the defensive effort for the Flash, each recording 16 digs.
 
Saint Francis hits the road for three NEC matches, beginning first with Quinnipiac this Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.