Loretto, Pa. - The Saint Francis women's volleyball (3-22, 3-10 NEC) won the first two sets at home vs. the St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers but couldn't close out the match in a five-set loss (25-22, 27-25, 21-25, 15-25, 9-15).

Sophomore Madi Tyus (Plano, TX/Bishop Lynch) finished the match with 23 kills, her second most in any game all season, while sophomore Keara McGraw (Austin, TX/James Bowie) added 12 kills and 10 digs. 

The Red Flash pulled away in the first set on the heels of a 5-1 run to turn a 13-11 lead into an 18-12 advantage. The Terriers whittled the lead to 20-18 but a Tyus kill a SFBK error and a Thomas ace made it 23-18. Saint Francis closed out the on a Brooklyn attack error to grab a 1-0 lead.

The Red Flash had a stranglehold on the match after outlasting St. Francis Brooklyn 27-25 in set two. The entire set was tightly contested as neither team led by more than three at any point. The Red Flash trailed 22-20 before a 3-0 run. Freshman Jeanie Edgington (Olmstead Falls, Oh/Olmstead Falls) capped the run with a kill to give Saint Francis a 23-22 lead. The Red Flash failed to convert its first three set points but Tyus ended it with another kill.

Saint Francis was in good shape to earn a sweep midway through the third set and took a 12-11 lead on a kill from sophomore Nicole Adams (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa East). The Terriers secured the next four points and, although a Tyus kill pulled the Red Flash within three at 24-21, closed out the set with a 25-21 win. 

A quick start to set four put Saint Francis ahead 6-2 after an Adams ace. It was evened at 11-11 and then St. Francis Brooklyn went on a 7-1 run distancing itself from the Red Flash in a 25-15 win.

The Terriers took the drama out of the fifth set with 10 of the first 12 points to close the match out with a 15-9 win.

Junior Shannon Thomas (West Chester, Pa./Villa Maria) had a strong game with 48 assists and 24 digs while freshman libero Gabby Krug (Altoona, PA/Bishop Guilfoyle) added a career-high 15 digs. Senior Cecilia Esposito (Coraopolis, Pa./Montour) led Saint Francis with three blocks in SFU's first five-set loss of the season.

The Red Flash will celebrate Esposito on senior day tomorrow at 4 p.m. when the Red Flash take on CCSU at 5 p.m.