Flash Points:
- Saint Francis plays three matches in Pittsburgh this weekend, starting with one at Duquesne on Friday at 5 p.m.
- SFU plays twice on Saturday, first against Buffalo at Duquesne at 10 a.m. followed by a match against Coppin State at Robert Morris at 4 p.m.
- This is the second of four preseason invitationals for the Red Flash before beginning NEC play.
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis women's volleyball team continues its preseason invitational tour with a trip to Pittsburgh this weekend for the Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational. The Red Flash plays Duquesne on Friday at 5 p.m. On Saturday, SFU plays Buffalo at Duquesne at 11 a.m. and Coppin State at Robert Morris at 4 p.m.
Duquesne is 2-2 this season and is coming off a five-set victory at Youngstown State on Tuesday. Buffalo is 0-3 after competing in the Cavalier Classic at the University of Virginia last weekend. Coppin State is also 0-3 after spending the opening weekend at the U.S. Naval Academy Invitational.
VERES REACHES 1,000 DIGS
Junior libero
Jenna Veres (Independence, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) reached 1,000 career digs on Saturday at the LaSalle Invitational to become just the sixth player in school history to surpass that mark. She now sits at 1,003 digs, currently in fifth place all-time. She passed Breanna Kochinsky, who finished with 1,001 digs in her career from 2011-13.
"Not many achieve this milestone and if they do it mostly happens in their senior season," head coach
Sara McMullen said. "Reaching 1,000 digs in the beginning of her junior season shows how hard Jenna works."
| Saint Francis Career Digs Leaders |
Total |
Years |
| Anne Roosevelt |
1,470 |
2003-06 |
| Christine Breisch |
1,239 |
2007-10 |
| Nichole Hyer |
1,115 |
2001-04 |
| Kristin Buter |
1,103 |
2005-08 |
| Jenna Veres (Independence, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) |
1,003 |
2014-Pres. |
| Breanna Kochinsky |
1,001 |
2011-13 |
NEGATIVE HITTING PERCENTAGE
The Red Flash earned a 3-0 sweep of Morgan State last weekend, and Saint Francis held Morgan State to a -.060 hitting percentage. Hitting percentages in volleyball are calculated by subtracting hitting errors from kills, then dividing by total attempts. If a team – or an individual – has more hitting errors than kills, there will be a negative hitting percentage.
The match against Morgan State was the first time the Red Flash held an opponent to a negative hitting percentage in nearly six years. The Red Flash held Quinnipiac to a -.045 hitting percentage on Nov. 6, 2010.
"We played great during that match. We were able to keep them at a negative hitting percentage because we played within the systems that we have been teaching and learning all preseason," McMullen said. "It's rewarding to see our efforts in the practice gym pay off."
FRESHMAN IMPACT
The LaSalle Invitational marked the first collegiate action for two Red Flash freshmen.
Cecilia Esposito (Coraopolis, Pa./Montour) made two starts while appearing in three of the four matches at LaSalle. She filled the middle with a solo block and four block assists on the weekend. On the offensive side, she hit .321 with 13 kills.
Elise Dumouchelle (Ashburn, Va./Broad Run) had seven service aces on the weekend including five against LaSalle on Saturday. Those five aces place her in ninth place on the school's list for a single match.
"Elise served aggressive and kept the pressure on La Salle, and Cecilia did a great job of keeping up with the speed of the game," McMullen said. "I'm excited to see the growth of the freshmen as the season continues."
VERY EARLY NCAA RANKINGS
The sample size is incredibly small, but Saint Francis appears on various NCAA statistical rankings lists. Veres is ranked 10th in the nation in digs per set (5.79) and 13th in total digs (81). Dumouchelle leads the NEC and is 44th in the NCAA in total aces with seven.
As a team, the Red Flash is 13th in the nation in service aces with 28 and is 25th in the NCAA and first in the NEC with 2.0 aces per set. SFU is also second in the NEC with 15.5 digs per set.
