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Loretto, Pa. – The Saint Francis volleyball kicks off a five-game home stand with three home contests this week starting with Robert Morris on Wednesday, and ending with Sacred Heart on Friday and Bryant on Saturday.
 
Scouting the Colonials
 
Robert Morris sits atop the league standings at 19-3 overall and 9-0 in NEC play. RMU middle blocker Emma Granger is the leading candidate for NEC Player of the Year, leading the conference in blocks and service aces while ranking second in hitting pct. and fourth in kills. Lauren Kolenik and Maria Alfano rank 7^th and 8^th in the NEC in kills while Nikolette Zanolli leads the league in digs. The Colonials defeated the Red Flash in three sets in the first meeting.
 
Scouting the Pioneers
 
Sacred Heart returned all-conference performers Sarah Ciszek and Liisel Nelis from last year's team that went to the NEC Championship. Ciszek was highly-decorated as a freshman, earning the NEC Rookie and Setter of the Year. Nelis joined her on the All-Conference First Team in 2018 and once again leads Sacred Heart in kills this season with 234. Senior Makayla Dole is second on the team with 169 kills. As a team, the Pioneers rank second in the NEC in kills per set (13.08) and third in service aces per set (1.40). The Pioneers swept the Red Flash in the season's first meeting.
 
Scouting Bryant
 
Bryant, the defending NEC champion, is in second place at 9-2 in league play. The Bulldogs had to replace two of their three all-conference performers from a season ago in Julia Flynn (First Team) and Kristin Kingi (Second Team). Sophomore Caroline Kennedy, a Second Team All-Conference performer as a freshman, has stepped up in their absence with a team-leading 228 kills. Freshman Riley James is another dynamic leaper and is second on the Bulldogs in kills with 224.
 
HOW SWEEP IT IS
 
The Red Flash notched its first three-set win of the season on Friday at Merrimack to complete the season sweep of the Warriors. Saint Francis, who defeated Merrimack in four sets earlier in the season in Loretto, was in jeopardy of dropping the third set before reeling off five of the last seven points to close out the match with a 26-24 win. In SFU's three wins this season, the Red Flash have taken nine of the 11 sets.
 
TYUS AT THE TOP
 
Sophomores Madi Tyus (Plano, TX/Bishop Lynch) has improved off of her All-Conference earning first season in Loretto by leading the league in kills per set in year two at 4.0. Tyus has been particularly dominant in conference play, averaging 14.56 kills per match and 4.37 kills per set. She has recorded double-digit kills in seven of nine games.
 
HOW CAN I ASSIST YOU?
 
Junior setter Shannon Thomas (West Chester, Pa./Villa Maria) has filled in admirably for the injured Kimmy Sweeney (Broadview Heights, OH/Beaumont School) and ranks third in the NEC in assists per set at 7.80. Thomas recorded a career-high 55 assists in a win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Oct. 12 and has had three or more game in conference play with 30 or more assists.
 
ACE IN THE HOLE
 
Sophomore Nicole Adams (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa East) ranks fifth in the NEC in service aces at 0.36 per set and leads the Red Flash with 18 overall aces. The sophomore is also second on the team in kills with 134 and total blocks with 30.