2023 Schedule

LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University women's volleyball head coach Sara McMullen Spielvogel has announced her 2023 schedule. The 25-match slate is highlighted by hosting the Red Flash Classic presented by the Altoona Grand Hotel for the 23rd time and traveling to tournaments at Youngstown State, Wofford and Villanova.  
 
"We are excited about our non-conference schedule," said Spielvogel. "We aim for a non-conference schedule that allows us to compete at a high level and give us opportunities to make changes to find what works best for us and what our identity as a team is before we face off with our conference opponents."  
  
The Red Flash begins its seventh year in the Spielvogel era with its sixth appearance at the DoubleTree by Hilton YSU Invitational, presented by Mercy Health. The squad has also played in the Youngstown State event in 2006, 2013, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023.  
  
Saint Francis opens the season and the tournament with the first-ever meeting against Belmont on August 25. It will be the fifth contest against a current member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) with the Loretto program even against that circuit at two games apiece. Both wins against the MVC have been five setters, including a 3-2 win against Drake last year.  
  
The squad will then play Canisius to wrap up its August 25, marking the 23rd meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 1992 season and first since 2019. Saint Francis concludes its opening weekend with the 37th matchup against host Youngstown State and the first matchup since 2021.   
  
The Red Flash will make its 2023 home debut by hosting the Red Flash Classic presented by the Altoona Grand Hotel for the third-straight season. The 23rd iteration of the event will see Manhattan, Purdue Fort Wayne and Stony Brook come to DeGol Arena to start the month of September. The team will open the event against Manhattan on September 1 with the fifth meeting in the series since 1999 and the first since 2015.  
 
"Being able to host the Red Flash Classic for a third year in a row is very important to us," said Spielvogel. "We love to be at home and play in front of our crowd. We are grateful that the Altoona Grand plays such a great host to the opposing teams." 
  
Purdue Fort Wayne and Stony Brook will be the opponents for the second day of the tournament with the eighth battle between both teams. Saint Francis and Purdue Fort Wayne will be playing for the second-straight season in a series that began in 2001 while Stony Brook returns to the schedule for the first time since 2008 in a series that started in 2000.  
  
The first-ever trip to the Wofford Tournament on September 8-9 will begin with the second tilt against Belmont in 15 days. The Red Flash will then face host Wofford for the first time to end the day of competition. The team is 2-2 all-time against current members of the Southern Conference, including a thrilling 3-2 win against Chattanooga last season. The Wofford Tournament will conclude on September 9 with the first-ever meeting against Presbyterian. It will be the first-ever battle with Presbyterian and the Red Flash will face a Big South team for the fifth time in team history.  
  
Wrapping up the non-conference slate, the Loretto program will play in a Villanova Tournament for the first time for a pair of games against fellow Keystone State programs. The Red Flash will square off against Temple on September 15 for the second time in program history and the first since 2009 before taking off the host Wildcats for the first time since 1994 in the second-ever meeting between the two teams.  
  
Saint Francis will open Northeast Conference (NEC) play on the road for the first time since 2018 when the team travel to Merrimack on September 22 and to Stonehill on September 23.   
 
The Red Flash return to Loretto for its conference home opener against Le Moyne on October 7. Le Moyne joins the NEC in 2023 from the NCAA Division II ranks and it will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams.  
  
After a road trip to the Nutmeg state to face Sacred Heart (October 13) and CCSU (October 14), Saint Francis welcomes Le Moyne, Merrimack and Stonehill to Loretto the following weekend. The Red Flash will battle Merrimack on October 20 and Stonehill on October 21, while Le Moyne will face Stonehill on the first day and Merrimack on the second day in the first matches of the day at DeGol Arena.  
  
The Loretto program will then make its first-ever trip to Le Moyne on October 28 before returning home for its final home weekend against Sacred Heart on November 3 and CCSU on November 4.  
  
Saint Francis wraps up the regular season at FDU (November 10) and at LIU (November 11).  
  
The Red Flash look to advance to the NEC Tournament for the third-straight year when the tournament commences on November 17 and 18 at the home of the regular season champion. It would be the first time the squad played in three consecutive league tournaments since Saint Francis participated in seven in a row from 2002-08.