New Britain, CT- The Red Flash volleyball team rallied back from down two sets to one to win 16-14 in the fifth and earn their second conference win of the season on Saturday night. 

Saint Francis won 25-21, 23-25, 12-25, 25-19, 16-14 to move to 2-4 in NEC play. 

Maria Cup (Chesterland, Ohio/Gilmour Academy) and her 16 kills and an impressive .394 hitting percentage led four Flashes in double figures. Jenna Veres (Independence, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) had a team-high 24 digs while Amelia Metzler (Littleton, Colo./Chatfield) had a match-high 56 assists.

The first set saw neither team lead by more than two points and neither team could string together a run in the first half of the set. With the set tied at 14, CCSU ran off a run of six of eight points and looked to grab control of the set up 20-16. But Emily Marcinowski (Strongsville, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) had a pair of kills and Kelsey Roush (Johnstown, Pa./Richland) had an ace as SFU rallied back to tie the set at 21. Out of a Blue Devil timeout, the Flash carried on their momentum and scored the set's final four points, the last on a Cup kill to win 25-21. 

Set two started the same way as the first, with neither team grabbing control. Breanna Opera (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster ) had a pair of kills on two-straight points to give the Flash a 17-15 lead. CCSU would rally back, winning four straight points to lead 19-17. Out of a CCSU timeout, the Blue Devils would win three straight, breaking a 20-20 tie and would go on to win the set 25-23. 

The Blue Devils would break open set three, midway through the set. After a Chelsea Easter (Burlington, Ontario, Canada/Notre Dame Roman Catholic) kill brought SFU within one, CCSU fought back to win six of eight points to lead 20-14. Roush and Easter each had kills as the Flash battled back to make it a 20-17 Blue Devils lead. The Flash would get no closer than three as the Devils closed out the set 25-21 on a pair of kills to take a two sets to one lead. 

The two schools went back-and-forth to start set four. Kills by Opera and Cup sandwiched a setting error by CCSU and gave the Flash their first lead in the set since 2-1 at 12-10. The teams traded points until a Marcinowski kill tied the set at 19 and sparked a closing run by the Flash. Cup had two kills and the Flash defense forced three attack errors as SFU won the final seven points of set four to win 25-19 and force the deciding fifth set. 

SFU carried their momentum into set five, forcing four attack errors and leading 8-2 at the side change. The Blue Devils would not go quietly, mounting a furious six-point rally to take a 12-10 lead and looked to take control of the set. Out of a SFU timeout, Cup had three kills and Kelsey Roush (Johnstown, Pa./Richland) a timely ace to give the Flash a 14-12 lead and match point. A pair of attack errors by the Flash brought CCSU even at 14, but a Maria Cup (Chesterland, Ohio/Gilmour Academy) kill closed out the comeback and the match for the flash. 

The Red Flash defense held CCSU to a.080 hitting percentage, including a negative mark in the final two sets. The victory moves Saint Francis to 4-17 overall and 2-4 in the Northeast Conference. They will look for the road sweep of the weekend on Sunday when they travel to Bryant to face the Bulldogs. Match time is set for 1pm.