The women’s volleyball team has won its last three matches and four of its last five. Head coach Sara Spielvogel’s team is 2-0 in Northeast Conference action entering a three-match homestand that opens this weekend.
The Flash (7-6, 2-0 NEC) will host Stonehill for a pair of NEC matches this weekend at the Stokes Center. Friday’s match against the Skyhawks begins at 6 p.m. and Saturday’ contest is a 1 p.m. start.
Senior Korrin Burns has led the way for SFU through the non-conference schedule and the first two NEC matches. The outside hitter from Clarion, Pennsylvania, currently leads the team in points (287.5), kills (271), attacks (606) and digs (124).
She has already earned the NEC’s Player-of-the-Week award twice in 2025.
SFU has finished 10-4 in NEC regular-season action in each of the last two years, but fell short of a conference crown in both 2023 and 2024. Burns said a league title is the goal this fall.
“Our team calls it ‘our last ride,’” said Burns. “It is our last opportunity to win an NEC championship for Saint Francis.”
SFU women’s volleyball has never won an NEC crown and 2025 is the school’s last year in the league: the Flash will compete at the Division III level next season and compete in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.
Burns was an NEC first-team selection in 2024, as well as an All-ECAC second-team honoree.
Volleyball is a popular sport in the Burns family. Korrin’s mother played at Clarion University and her three sisters all competed in the sport at the collegiate level (Mercyhurst, Pitt and IUP).
Burns believes that the cohesion of her SFU team has helped it enjoy a high level of success over the last three seasons.
“Our tight-knit team fosters trust both on and off the court,” said the Physical Therapy major. “It allows us to play with confidence and unity.”
Burns has enjoyed success throughout her volleyball career. She was a key member of Clarion Area High School’s back-to-back state championship teams in 2020 and 2021.
She said she appreciates every chance she gets in the sport.
“Volleyball is a gift—whether at the Division I or Division III level,” said Burns. “Not everyone gets the chance to play the sport they love.
“A motto I live by is ‘inhale confidence, exhale doubt.’ Doubt can carry over into the next play, so maintaining a positive mentality is key.”
In her team’s last match, a 3-2 win at Central Connecticut on Sept. 27, Burns had 28 kills on 57 swings (.368 hitting percentage).
“Volleyball is as much mental as it is physical, and we dedicate time to developing mental resilience as a team,” she said.
“This makes all the difference.”
