Loretto, PA – The Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (10-10, 7-2 NEC) battled back after dropping the first set to Saint Francis (4-18, 3-6 NEC) with a five-set victory on Saturday night in Loretto.
The Blue Devils defeated the Red Flash 15-13 in the fifth and deciding set. SFU took sets one and three before CCSU rallied for the final two sets.
Box Score Leaders
The Saint Francis offense was led by
Madi Tyus (Plano, TX/Bishop Lynch) who earned a double-double (21 kills and 25 digs) and
Alexis Lambert (McKinney, Tx./McKinney-Boyd) who earned 22 total points. The Blue Devils offense was led by Emma Henderson's 20 kills and Raquel Quirarte's 17.5 points.
Defensively,
Sophia Esposito (Coraopolis, PA/Montour (Gardner-Webb)) led the Red Flash with five blocks. Behind her was
Amelia Metzler (Littleton, Colo./Chatfield) with three. CCSU's defense was led by Gala Galabova and Morgan Woycik who recorded eight and five blocks, respectively.
FIRST SET RECAP
- The teams exchanged points with neither team being able to establish an early lead until SFU rallied to a 11-7 lead.
- CCSU battled back, cutting the Red Flash lead to 16-15, thanks to a few combination blocks by the Blue Devils Gala Galabova and Emma Henderson.
- Tyus responded with three straight kills set up by Amelia Metzler (Littleton, Colo./Chatfield), forcing a CCSU timeout with SFU leading 19-16.
- After the timeout, the Red Flash scored four of the next six points, forcing CCSU to take their second timeout of the set leading down 23-18.
- A huge combination block by Sophia Esposito (Coraopolis, PA/Montour (Gardner-Webb)) and Nicole Adams (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa East) gave SFU a 24-18 lead.
- Immediately after the combination block by Esposito and Adams, Adams sealed the set for the Red Flash with a service ace.
SECOND SET RECAP
- Central Connecticut opened the second set on a nine to five scoring run.
- An SFU timeout could not stop CCSU's momentum as its lead grew to 15-8.
- After Saint Francis took its second and final timeout of the set, the Flash responded with a 3-0 scoring run.
- An attack error and kill by Lambert would help Saint Francis, but Central Connecticut would close the set on a 6-2 scoring run, evening the match at a set apiece with a 25-15 set win.
THIRD SET RECAP
- The Saint Francis offense exploded out of the gates, opening the set on a 7-2 run. Tyus, Adams, and Lambert all fueled the run with kills set up wonderfully by Metzler. The five-point advantage forced an early CCSU timeout.
- Following the timeout, Esposito and Shamlin made their presence known with blocks at the net. Their efforts, along with a couple kills by Tyus and Lambert, helped extend the Red Flash lead to nine points.
- A service ace from CCSU's Gala Galabova and kills from Morgan Woycik and Emma Henderson cut SFU's lead to four at 20-16.
- Late kills by Lambert and Adams helped SFU reclaim the match lead with a 25-19 set three victory.
FOURTH SET RECAP
- CCSU jumped out to a 13-8 lead, forcing SFU to take a timeout.
- Coach Sara McMullen's timeout proved to be a good one as Saint Francis battled back to score five straight points. The 5-0 scoring run cut the CCSU lead down to 14-12.
- The Blue Devils' maintained their lead thanks to a steady attack by Morgan Woycik and Emma Henderson, taking the fourth set 25-20.
FIFTH SET RECAP
- Again, the Red Flash found its stride offensively, claiming a 5-0 lead early in the set. The scoring run forced CCSU into taking the team's first timeout of the set.
- Immediately after the timeout, CCSU tallied three kills and were on the right side of a hitting error to make it a 6-5 deficit. The Red Flash called a timeout of its own in an attempt to change momentum.
- The Blue Devils sustained momentum as Morgan Woycik had the game-winning kill for a 15-13 set win.
Up Next
Saint Francis will look to bounce back as it takes on LIU Brooklyn and Saint Francis Brooklyn next weekend in New York.
