BALTIMORE, Md. – Breanna Opera (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster ) led the Red Flash with 10 kills but Loyola (Md.) swept Saint Francis in three sets on Tuesday night.
SFU fell 18-25, 18-25, 16-25 on Tuesday and now sits at 2-7 on the season. Opera's 10 kills led the Flash while
Hannah Kutny (Clifton Park, N.Y./Catholic Central) added eight to go along with 12 digs.
Jenna Veres (Independence, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) led SFU with 16 digs while
Amelia Metzler (Littleton, Colo./Chatfield) added 19 assists. However, 10 ball handling errors and a hot hitting Loyola squad, who hit .330 on the night, were too much to overcome.
In set one, the Flash fell behind early as Loyola came out of the gate quick. A four-point run opened the Greyhound lead to six at 11-5 in the early stages. Kills by
Chelsea Easter (Burlington, Ontario, Canada/Notre Dame Roman Catholic) and Kutny cut the lead to three, but the Greyhounds kept their distance. A late, three-point run from the Flash cut the lead to 22-18 but Loyola would serve out the set and win 25-18.
Set two started in similar fashion, as Loyola won seven of eight points to take an early 9-3 lead. That set the tone for the set as the Flash could not get a run going, trading points with the Greyhounds for much of the set. Opera had a kill as part of a 4-1 run for the Flash as they cut the lead to 24-18, but again Loyola closed out set two at 25-18.
Once again, an early Greyhound run proved to be too much in set three. This time, four straight points and five out of six opened up an early lead for Loyola at 10-4. A Kutny ace, one of five for the Flash on the evening was part of a small Flash run to get the deficit to 13-8. Loyola answered, winning six of seven points to put the set out of reach. They would close out the set and the match at 25-16.
Saint Francis continues their early-season road swing this weekend. They head back to the Buckeye State to participate in the Wright State Tournament in Dayton, Ohio. They will take on the host Raiders on Friday at 11 a.m. to start the tourney.
