LORETTO, PENN. (October 28, 2022)- The Stonehill College women's volleyball team took the Saint Francis University Red Flash to five sets. However, Saint Francis ended up sneaking past Stonehill by a score of 3-2 (17-25, 25-21, 16-35, 25-20, 8-15) Friday afternoon at Merkert Gymnasium.

Lauren McCloskey led the offensive attack with nine kills. The freshman has now finished with five or more kills 15 times this year. Not far behind was Emma Graves who recorded eight kills. Molly Turner guided the offense with 17 assists and it marked the 11th time this year she finished with 15 or more assists. Defensively, Kristen DeLorenzo posted 11 digs which marked her 14th time this year with 10 or more digs.

Saint Francis started out quick in set one as the Red Flash jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead before Stonehill had to call timeout. Out of the timeout, Saint Francis continued to hold off Stonehill and after the Red Flash went up 18-11, the Skyhawks had a small rally as the squad pulled within five (19-14). The Purple and White utilized a 3-1 push highlighted by a Graves kill but unfortunately, the late push was not enough as Saint Francis held on for the 25-17 opening set victory.

Both sides went back and forth early on in the second set as neither let the other gain much space from one other. Tied at eight, Saint Francis gave themselves some breathing room and went up 10-8 with a 2-0 run. Stonehill continued to pick away at the lead and found themselves either down one or two. With the Red Storm up 17-15, the Skyhawk tied things at 17 with a Mia Berardino service ace Saint Francis error. Despite tying the match, the schools exchanged points the next few sets and when it was tied at 20, the squad closed the second set on a 5-1 run spearheaded by kills from Jentry Allen, Graves, and McCloskey.

The Red Flash regained control in the third set as the visitors raced out to a 5-1 advantage before Stonehill had to use their first timeout. After the timeout, Stonehill pulled within one (5-4) thanks to multiple Saint Francis errors and a McCloskey kill.  Even though the squad came within one, Saint Francis went back ahead by as much as five (15-10) but Stonehill again chipped away and brought it down to two (15-13) after Red Flash service and attack errors. From there, Saint Francis ended up putting the match out of reach after going on a 3-0 run (18-13) which Stonehill had to use their second timeout and from the timeout, the Red Flash finished off set three one a 7-3 burst (25-16).

Stonehill started out set four on a 7-3 run highlighted by two kills from Graves and McCloskey before the Red Flash had to utilize their first timeout. After the timeout, Saint Francis pulled within one (8-7) but Stonehill gave themselves breathing room thanks to an 8-2 outburst (16-9) that featured two more kills and a service ace from Berardino. From there, Stonehill held off Saint Francis by not letting them get as close as four (24-20) before they evened the match at two sets when the squad took advantage of a Red Flash service error.

In the final set, the Red Flash raced out to a 7-1 lead but Stonehill trimmed the deficit to four (8-4), after an Amanda Maier kill. However, that ended up being the closest the Purple and White would get as Saint Francis secured the match victory with a 7-3 stretch for a 15-7 win. In the last set, Graves and Maier led the Skyhawks with a kill apiece.

Up Next

Stonehill continues their homestand tomorrow when the squad hosts Fairleigh Dickinson for a 5 p.m. matchup.

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