SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Junior libero Jackie Smith collected 13 digs with three aces and a rare kill for her position, while setters Kelsey Magley and Kate Fobes guided the offense to a .354 team hitting average, as St. Francis swept Elk Grove, 25-14, 25-10, 25-19, in the nightcap of a Delta League girls' volleyball tripleheader Thursday night.
The Troubadour varsity improves to 15-6 overall and 7-0 in league play. The SFHS frosh and junior varsity teams also won in straight sets, marking the seventh straight dual night that all three levels won every set. Frosh claimed a 25-16, 25-14 win over the Wildcats, while the jayvees prevailed by scores of 25-15, 25-12.
Senior outside hitter Olivia Mlikotin led the Troubies with 11 kills on 22 swings while serving up three aces of her own. Opposite Caroline Foraker posted eight kills with just one error, while middle blocker Sophia Garza hit 7-1-10. Another senior left-sider, Sofia Alkire, stepped in with four kills in her eight attempts.
Magley had 19 assists in the first two sets, then turned over the setting chores to Fobes, who registered 12 dimes in the third. The Troubies cruised to victories in the first two frames, with Smith delivering all three of her aces as part of a 9-0 run that made it 21-10. Mlikotin hit 4-for-5 with two of her aces in a 6-0 stretch in the second set.
Franklin battled back from deficits of 9-4 and 15-10 in the third, with timely hitting from junior Alessa Ochieng getting the Wildcats to within two-point margins at 15-13, 16-14 and 17-15. Ashlee Hang later served up an ace along the left edge to pull Franklin to 19-17, and a SF net violation clicked the scoreboard to 20-18. However, Mlikotin put down three kills in a final 5-1 flourish to complete the sweep and preserve the varsity streak of league 3-0 wins.
The match atmosphere also got extra loud early in the varsity match as hundreds of SFHS students took a break from their Homecoming build work on Serra Court to support their friends on the volleyball court. The much-awaited rally takes place on Friday, and all students faced a hard out of 8 p.m. on their construction, meaning they did not stay for long. However, so many students swarmed in and out of the gym that play was paused to allow for the massive egress during the first set.
The Troubies' frosh squad broke open the first set with a long serving run from Layla Werner. After allowing Franklin to approach to a 12-11 deficit, Werner scored on a tip for a side out, then went to the service line for seven more points – including three of her five aces in the frame. The Wildcats managed to score four unanswered to rally back to 20-15, but Reese Walker and Emma Robinson scored back-to-back kills while a couple of errant second contacts put the 24th and 25th points on the board for SF.
In the second set, Katie Kramer and Justine Stegall led the serving game with three aces apiece, while Walker scored a couple of kills at the middle of the tape in a 25-14 win.
In the junior varsity win, Layla Alexander had three kills and three aces in the first set, but it was Natalie Sandoval's four aces amidst a 5-0 run that truly broke open the game. Her consecutive kills on four sets boosted the Troubies to a 13-3 lead. Alexander matched her at 15-5 and with a tool at 17-7, as the Wildcats never came within eight points down the stretch.
Then in the second set, Alexander, Sandoval, Jessica Dillie, Isabella Ramos and Gabrielle Rowe each had multiple kills. St. Francis finished on a 13-2 run, with Alexander logging her fourth ace to go with the diverse offensive contributions.
The JV and frosh teams compete in the Carmichael Invitational Tournament of Champions on Saturday. Then all three teams return to Delta League play against Davis on Thursday, October 6, for the return of PAL Night. Students from the various Parochial Athletic League schools will gain their usual free admission, but will also be treated to an autograph session following the varsity match. The PAL members fall under the same Diocese of Sacramento auspices as St. Francis.
