LORETTO, PA- Saint Francis returns home for homecoming weekend and welcomes in Bryant and Central Connecticut to DeGol Arena to start the second half of Northeast Conference play.
 
In addition to homecoming weekend, the Red Flash will help celebrate the 50^th anniversary of womens' athletics at Saint Francis. There will be a social for the 50^th anniversary on Friday evening starting at 6 in the Stokes Club, one hour prior to the Bryant match. Fans will also find a timeline of the highlights of the 50 years throughout the DeGol Arena lobby throughout the weekend.
 
ABOUT THE RED FLASH
Saint Francis hit the halfway point of the NEC slate at 3-4 overall, two games in back of the fourth and final playoff spot. Bryant and Central Connecticut are in a three-way tie for spots 2-4 in the NEC at 5-2 along with Sacred Heart.
 
PART OF A BALANCED ATTACK
 
The Red Flash have been remarkably balanced through seven conference matches. As Madi Tyus (Plano, TX/Bishop Lynch), Nicole Adams (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa East) and Alexis Lambert (McKinney, Tx./McKinney-Boyd) rank third and tied for fourth in the NEC in kills and sit at 94, 92 and 92 kills, respectfully through seven NEC matches. The sophomore Lambert has been arguably the most impressive, also ranking second in the NEC amongst players with at least 90 kills in NEC play and ninth overall.
 
SPREADING THE WEALTH
 
The offensive balance is a testament to the play of senior setter Amelia Metzler (Littleton, Colo./Chatfield). She stepped into the starting lineup after the first NEC weekend and has delivered a 10.72 assist per set average. That is one-and-a-half assists clear of the next-best setter in NEC play. Metzler has the most assists in NEC play, despite playing in two fewer matches.
 
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
 
Defensively, the Red Flash sit in the middle of the NEC pack in blocks, averaging just shy of two per set as a team. Daysha Shamlin (Bear, Del./Tower Hill) and Nicole Adams (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa East) have led the charge on the block with each averaging just shy of one block per set. The block has also enabled the SFU back row to keep balls in play. The Red Flash lead the NEC with just over 18.5 digs per set. Freshman libero Jess Barrett (Broadview Heights, OH/North Royalton) is second in the NEC at nearly 5.5 digs per set while Lambert ranks 10^th at just over 3.3.
 
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Bryant took care of the Red Flash in three sets in the conference opener for both teams. Like the Red Flash, the Bulldogs bring a very balanced attack to Loretto. Five players average at least two kills per set in NEC play, led by Julia Flynn, who ranks sixth in the NEC at 3.4 kills per set. The Bulldogs have an efficient offense, ranking second only to CCSU with a 199 hitting percentage. Defensively, they mirror the Red Flash in having the block set up their digs with Erika Ward and Julia Flynn doing the heavy lifting in that department.
 
ABOUT THE BLUE DEVILS
CCSU knocked off the Red Flash in four sets on the back end of the opening NEC weekend and also come into the weekend at 5-2. They are led by the do-everything junior Madelyn Kaprelyan. The junior leads the Northeast Conference at over four kills per set and is second in hitting percentage at 330. She's posted a pair of triple-doubles on the season, also serving as a setting in the CCSU rotation. As a result of her efficiency, the Blue Devils have hit at a 250 clip in conference, easily the tops in the league. Defensively, they rely heavily on their block, posting 2.6 blocks per set on average. While they rank last in the NEC at 14.5 digs per set, it hasn't mattered as that block has held opponents to a paltry 148 hitting percentage.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Both matches will be streamed on NEC Front Row with Matt Popelka on the call. Live stats will also be provided for both matches and you can follow @RedFlashVB for in-match highlights and updates as well. Links can be found on the volleyball schedule page. 
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The Red Flash head to the Big Apple next weekend to take on LIU and St. Francis Brooklyn.  The Blackbirds of LIU are up first with a 6 p.m. first serve scheduled from the Steinberg Wellness Center.