Flash Points:

• The Red Flash will play four matches this weekend to open the season, starting with NJIT on Friday at 10 a.m.
• It marks the opening matches for new head coach Sara McMullen.

LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis women's volleyball team opens its 2016-17 season this weekend at the La Salle Invitational in Philadelphia. The Red Flash will play four matches over two days. On Friday, SFU plays NJIT at 10 a.m. and Quinnipiac at 2:30 p.m. On Saturday, SFU plays Morgan State at 10 a.m. and finishes against La Salle at 2:30 p.m.
 
Friday's match against NJIT marks the first for new head coach Sara McMullen and new assistant coach Colton Reinholtz.
 
"I'm looking forward to seeing the team's hard work and efforts through the preseason come out in competition," she said.
 
Saint Francis returns three players who recorded more than 100 kills last season. Breanna Opera (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster ) finished third on the team with 156 kills, while Emily Marcinowski (Strongsville, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) (124) and Sophie Murdock (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion ) (119) surpassed the century mark in 2015. Marcinowski is the team's returning leader in kills per set, averaging 2.25 kills per set.
 
Amelia Metzler (Littleton, Colo./Chatfield) and Lauren Williams (Reno, Nev./Damonte Ranch) return as the team's setters. Metzler earned 21 starts in the team's 28 matches last season, but Williams still played in more than 40 percent of the team's sets. Metzler had 7.3 assists per set last year while Williams finished with 6.4 assists per set.
 
Jenna Veres (Independence, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) tied for second on the team last year with 13 service aces, and she also led the team in digs last season with 441. She finished fourth in the NEC in digs and digs per set. Sophie Murdock (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion ) returns for her senior season as the team's blocks leader, finishing with 61 in 2015.
 
McMullen said that she's experimented with a few position shifts during the team's preseason camp, and the results have been positive.
 
"Everyone has bought into the system that we are trying to run," she said. "We've moved some people around, and they've been really receptive to the changes we've made."
 
She also pointed to junior outside hitter Kelsey Roush (Johnstown, Pa./Richland) as a standout during the preseason. Despite not receiving much playing time in 2015, she's come into her own during camp.
 
"She can do it all. She can pass, she can hit, she has a tough serve and can play great defense."
 
The Red Flash was picked seventh in the NEC preseason coaches' poll, but in a year when three different teams received a first place vote, parity may rule in 2016.
 
"We may have lost three key players from last season, but that gives us a chance to showcase some of our depth," McMullen said. "It should be exciting to see some new faces step up."