NEW BRITAIN, CT- Freshman Madi Tyus (Plano, TX/Bishop Lynch) had a big first set and finished with a 18-kill, 10-dig double double, but the host Central Connecticut Blue Devils rallied to take the final three sets to close out the opening conference weekend for both teams.
 
The Blue Devils prevailed 18-25, 25-15, 25-15, 25-19 to move to 2-0 in Northeast Conference play while the Red Flash fell to 0-2 in the NEC.
 
RED FLASH LEADERS
 
Tyus led the way with her 18 kills but fellow freshman Nicole Adams (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa East) added eight to go along with her team-high five blocks. Sophia Esposito (Coraopolis, PA/Montour (Gardner-Webb)) and Daysha Shamlin (Bear, Del./Tower Hill) each added four blocks for the Red Flash defense. For the Blue Devils, they were led by the duo of Rachel Quirarte and Madelyn Kaprelyan, who had 14 and 12 kills each, respectfully. Gala Galabova showed why she way one of the leaders in the NEC in blocks, with a match-high six on the evening.
 
 
FIRST SET RECAP

• The teams traded runs early, with Tyus leading SFU to a 3-0 lead early and CCSU rallying back to tie the set at 4-4
• After the initial trading of runs, the teams traded points until SFU ran off six-straight points to lead 12-6, Tyus had a trio of kills during the surge to force a CCSU timeout
• Kills from Tyus and Nicole Adams (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa East) sandwiched a Kimmy Sweeney (Broadview Heights, OH/Beaumont School) ace to stop a CCSU run and restore a six-point lead at 15-9
• The Red Flash lead would reach a high-water mark of 10 at 22-12 after a kill from Alexis Lambert (McKinney, Tx./McKinney-Boyd)
• The first of 10 CCSU service aces would spark a 4-0 run by the Blue Devils and force the Red Flash to take a timeout to stop the momentum
• A pair of Daysha Shamlin (Bear, Del./Tower Hill) combo blocks sparked the Red Flash late, leading them to a 25-18 set one win

 
SET TWO RECAP

• This time it would be Central who jumped out to the early lead, scoring six of the first eight points
• An SFU timeout at 7-2 couldn't stop the CCSU momentum as their lead grew to 10-3
• A pair of aces from Lambert and Shamlin coupled with a trio of CCSU errors, helped the Red Flash get back in the set at 12-9
• CCSU responded with two aces and two Quirarte kills as part of a 6-0 run to lead 18-9, prompting another SFU timeout
• A pair of kills from Adams helped the Red Flash late but CCSU would even the match at a set each with a 25-15 set two win

SET THREE RECAP

• Neither team could establish a lead early as three kills from three different players let SFU keep pace with CCSU, splitting the first 12 points
• The Blue Devils would grab control of the set with an 7-0 run fueled by a pair of kills and set errors from the Red Flash
• A trio of kills from Tyus tried to spark the Red Flash who got as close as four at 13-9 after the CCSU surge
• CCSU put the set out of reach, again capitalizing on errors from the Red Flash to lead by as many as 12 in the set
• Kills from Shamlin and Tyus came late in the set, but the Blue Devils took their first lead of the match, taking set three by an identical 25-15 margin

 
SET FOUR RECAP

• Two kills from Tyus and a kill and a combo block from Adams sent SFU out to a 5-0 lead to start the set
• The two freshmen kept the pressure on, each recording two more kills as the lead reached seven points at 11-4 off a Lambert ace
• CCSU would climb back in the set, scoring five straight to cut the lead to 15-13 and force a Red Flash timeout
• Saint Francis would continually hold off the CCSU comeback as Sweeney had a kill and a pair of CCSU attack errors kept the lead at three until 19-16
• The Blue Devils' defense would take over, forcing six attack errors from the Red Flash and recording an ace as part of a 9-0 run to close the set and the match at 25-19

 
LOOKING AHEAD
For the first time all season, the Red Flash will be at home next week as they host in-state and conference rival Robert Morris on Friday night. First serve from DeGol Arena is set for 7 p.m.