SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Junior middle blocker Sophia Garza hit 13 kills with just two errors for a .647 hitting average to lead third-seeded St. Francis to a 25-14, 25-16, 25-5 sweep of 14th-seeded Lincoln in the first round of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I girls tournament Tuesday night.
Garza was supported offensively by junior Mila Stojakovic and Sofia Alkire, who tallied kills totals of eight and seven, respectively. Senior libero Justine Pulmones picked up 17 digs while setter Carli Padilla notched 32 assists and 14 digs. Padilla's also ran the offense to a .288 average.
"It's good to get the butterflies out of the bellies, so to speak," said SFHS head coach Alynn Wright. "It was a team effort tonight. We started out a little bit slow then we kicked it into gear, which is exciting. I thought our passing was pretty good, which is what allowed us to run the middle."
"All in all, it was a good start, but we have to get better and keep pushing ourselves at practice if we want to run deep. I'd say we're still a week away but I like what I'm seeing."
Wright also applauded the effort of the reserves who got to step in down the final stretch. Charlise Rowe landed a couple of kills at the left pin while Kate Patella served out the final stretch of the third set to seal the win.
The Troubadours will host the winner of the St. Mary's-Turlock match on Thursday. Tickets will only be available via the GoFan website and app (https://gofan.co/app/school/CA8032). Match time will be 7 p.m.
UPDATE 10:30 P.M. - St. Mary's defeated Turlock in straight sets and will become SFHS' opponent on Thursday night.
