Flash Points:

• Breanna Opera (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster ) led SFU with 11 kills and five total blocks.
• Jenna Veres (Independence, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) finished with 17 digs.
• Saint Francis fell in the fifth and deciding set 15-9.

 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis women's volleyball team rallied back from a two sets to one deficit against the Robert Morris Colonials but fell 15-9 in the fifth and deciding set on Friday at DeGol Arena. The Flash fell 25-23, 12-25, 12-25, 25-21 and 9-15.
 
Breanna Opera (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster ) finished the match with 11 kills and five total blocks, while Kelsey Roush (Johnstown, Pa./Richland) added 10 kills. Jenna Veres (Independence, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) led three players in double-digit digs with 17. Amelia Metzler (Littleton, Colo./Chatfield) recorded 30 assists.
 
The first set was a game of runs, with Saint Francis (5-20, 1-10) scoring three-straight points to trail 11-10. Kills by Sophia Esposito (Coraopolis, PA/Montour (Gardner-Webb)) and Roush kill put SFU ahead, 14-13. With the score tied at 15-15, SFU scored six of the next seven points to take a comfortable 21-16 lead.  A three-point run by RMU (13-15, 7-5) put the Colonials within one at 24-23. A Roush kill sealed the first set, 25-23.
 
RMU would jump out to an early 6-2 lead in the second set. SFU would try to claw back to make the score 13-8. The momentum would stay will the Colonials as they scored six of the last eight points to take the second set, 25-14.
 
Both teams traded points in the third set, with RMU taking a 6-3 lead. A kill by Cecilia Esposito (Coraopolis, Pa./Montour) and an attack error by RMU put SFU within two at 10-8 but RMU would rattled off four-straight to take a 14-8 lead. The Colonials used a run of 4-0 and 3-0 to give RMU the third set, 25-12.
 
The Colonials looked to finish off the match in four sets, but the Flash had other ideas. Saint Francis would come back after falling behind 12-5. SFU strung together four unanswered points to tie the set at 12-12. RMU would take a 16-13 lead midway through the set. The Flash would turn an 18-17 deficit into a 20-18 lead. SFU would force a fifth set after winning five of the last seven points.
 
The fifth and deciding set would be a back-and-fourth battle, with SFU taking an 8-6 lead. After a RMU timeout, the Colonials would rally to tie the set at 8-8. With the Flash leading 9-8, Robert Morris would score seven-straight points to take the set and match, 15-9.
 
Saint Francis closes out the regular season next weekend against LIU Brooklyn and St. Francis Brooklyn.