FLASH POINTS:

• The Red Flash had nine total blocks in the match
• SFU held Sacred Heart to a .091 hitting percentage
• Four players had at least seven kills with Emily Marcinowski (Strongsville, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) leading the way with 12

LORETTO, PA- The Red Flash got a balanced offensive attack and a superb defensive effort in a three-set sweep of Sacred Heart on Saturday night to improve to 2-1 in Northeast Conference play and 8-8 overall. 

Saint Francis held Sacred Heart to a .091 hitting percentage and totaled nine blocks in a 25-17, 25-15, 25-22 sweep on Saturday night inside DeGol Arena. 

McMULLEN'S REACTION
"I loved our balanced effort tonight," head coach Sara McMullen said. "Amelia (Metzler) ran a great offense to get everyone involved and Jenna (Veres) really helped to set the tone on the defensive end."

FIRST SET RECAP

• The Red Flash hit a sizzling .536 in the first set, recording 16 kills from six different people
• SFU scored six of the first eight points of the match, forcing a SHU timeout, a kill and ace from Kelsey Roush (Johnstown, Pa./Richland) highlighted the run
• Saint Francis never let Sacred Heart into the first set after the initial run, never leading by less than three 
• A kill from Emily Pieper (Paonia, Colo./Paonia) ended Sacred Heart's only true run of the first set and SFU built up a seven-point lead before another Roush ace closed the set at 25-17

SECOND SET RECAP

• Again SFU got out to a quick start, scoring the first four points of the set behind two Sophia Esposito (Coraopolis, PA/Montour (Gardner-Webb)) blocks and a Esposito kill
• The Pioneers responded out of a timeout, cutting a five-point Red Flash lead to one at 7-6
• Emily Marcinowski (Strongsville, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) ran of four-straight points on her serve, including an ace to help SFU rebuild a five-point lead
• The Saint Francis defense forced a pair of Sacred Heart attack errors , forcing a SHU timeout
• The timeout did not stop the Red Flash momentum, an ace from Alexis Lambert (McKinney, Tx./McKinney-Boyd) led to kills from Marcinowski and Roush and SFU led by as many as 10 in the second
• The Red Flash had four blocks in the second, and a pair of blocks helped to close out the second set at 25-15

THIRD SET RECAP

• The third set mirrored the first two as SFU scored four of the first five points and 10 of the first 14 in the set to force a Sacred Heart timeout
• Roush had two kills in the early run but the SFU defense forced four attack errors in the early stages
• The teams traded points in the set with the Red Flash content to hold a seven-point lead
• An ace from Amelia Metzler (Littleton, Colo./Chatfield) forced the Pioneers final timeout as SFU led 14-7
• Cecilia Esposito (Coraopolis, Pa./Montour) had a pair of blocks down the stretch as SFU led by as many as eight in the final set
• The Pioneers staved off four match points before Kelsey Roush (Johnstown, Pa./Richland)'s attack sent Sacred Heart scrambling and couldn't recover

LOOKING AHEAD
The Red Flash will hit the road the next two conference weekends. Up first is a trip to the Big Apple to take on SFBK and LIU Brooklyn. The Terriers of Saint Francis-Brooklyn are up first with a 4 p.m. first serve set for Friday.