Loretto, Pa. - Senior Cecilia Esposito (Coraopolis, Pa./Montour) recorded five blocks and junior Shannon Thomas (West Chester, Pa./Villa Maria) added four blocks and 23 assists but the Red Flash (3-20, 3-8 NEC) fell to Sacred Heart (14-10, 9-2 NEC) 15-25, 13-25, 17-25 on Friday night.

Saint Francis mounted a furious rally in the first set, turning a 16-9 deficit into a 16-14 deficit on the heels of a 5-0 run. A kill by sophomore Nicole Adams (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa East), a combo block by Adams and Thomas and an ace by sophomore Madi Tyus (Plano, TX/Bishop Lynch) fueled the run. However, Sacred Heart scored the next six points following a timeout to put it away. 

After a Pioneer wire-to-wire win in set two, Saint Francis led the third set 11-8 after consecutive Sacred Heart attack errors. A 6-0 Sacred Heart run put the visitors ahead for good as they closed out the win with a 25-17 set win.

Tyus led Saint Francis with nine kills followed by sophomore Keara McGraw (Austin, TX/James Bowie) with six. Redshirt freshman Alexa Mamone (Beaver, PA/Beaver Area) pace Saint Francis with six digs. 

Saint Francis plays its third game in four days tomorrow vs. Bryant at 4 p.m.