SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior outside hitter Olivia Mlikotin pounded out 20 kills, junior libero Jacqueline Smith scooped up 29 digs, and St. Francis collectively fought back from a 24-20 quadruple set point in the third to finish a 25-9, 25-13, 27-25 sweep of Davis in the varsity finale of Thursday's Delta League girls' volleyball tripleheader at the SFHS gym.
The Troubadours improve to 16-6 overall and remain undefeated at 8-0 in Delta League play. In fact, none of the three St. Francis volleyball squads have yet to lose a set in conference matches, with junior varsity (24-2) taking a 25-6, 25-9 victory; and the Troubie frosh (26-4) pulling away in each end of a 25-18, 25-19 sweep.
Both the offensive output from Mlikotin and the defensive performance from Smith established career highs. Mlikton's previous kills best was the 19 she posted against Christian Brothers a year ago, while Smith's former digs high was the 19 she notched in the 2022 season opener with Rocklin.
Lana Ezeani also shattered previous highs, posting 10 kills with just two errors on 22 swings for a .364 average. Until Thursday's tilt with Davis, she had only had double-digit attempts in a match once: 10 vs. Elk Grove more than two weeks prior. Ezeani and Veronica Datwyler each saw significant upticks in playing time, as several Troubie players were out due to illness.
Senior middle blocker Sophia Garza had nine kills and a .667 average to go with two stuff blocks for the match. Junior setter Kelsey Magley finished with 39 assists for yet another varsity best. Oddly, her previous high was 34 at Davis back on September 13. Magley distributed additional kills to opposite Caroline Foraker (5) and middle blocker Lily Zeff (3), helping SF compile a team attack rate of .258.
Mlikotin dominated the opening set to the tune of 10 kills and a service ace. She also did not commit a single attacking error, propelling the Troubies to their 25-9 victory. Mlikotin and Foraker also led offensively in the second, as St. Francis finished with eight of the final 11 points. With a 24-13 set point, Ellie Carpenter's serve coaxed a stray free ball that Garza put down for an unassisted kill.
However, Davis regrouped in the third, scoring six unanswered to start and crafting as much as an eight-point lead at 12-4 on Tessa Schouten's service ace. Garza then scored four kills in the middle to boost St. Francis back to a 12-14 deficit, but Schouten's attacking and net defense stretched the Blue Devil lead once again. Schouten had a solo stuff followed by a block assist with April Seeger to extend the lead to 20-14, then she later knocked down a two set to make it a seven-point game at 22-15.
Facing a 24-20 set point, St. Francis scored five straight: Garza on a one set, Mlikotin's unassisted kill against a free ball, a Davis net violation to gift Garza another kill, and a Blue Devil attack that missed wide tied the frame at 24-24. Garza put a soft touch on a ball for the go-ahead at 25-24, but Mlikotin's shot missed wide to make it 25-25. Nonetheless, Mlikotin gained redemption with the winners on the next two points, setting the board at 27-25 and completing what seemed like an unlikely sweep.
The late surge for varsity in the third set echoed both set victories for the SF frosh in the opener. The two teams tied eight times in the first set, including at 17-17. However, Layla Werner's roll shot found some empty court for the go-ahead at 18-17, igniting an 8-1 finish for the Troubies. Colleen Medina smacked a massive kill at 23-18, then Justine Stegall served up back-to-back aces to wrap up the 25-18 win.
Similarly in the second, the Blue Devils hung tough with their hosts, battling to a 12-12 tie before St. Francis began to pull away. Danielle Payant hit the go-ahead from the right pin at 13-12, then later served up an ace as part of a total of five unanswered points to 17-12. Then as she had in the first, Stegall helped wrap up the second: back-to-back kills and an ace to make it 22-16. Payant's kill from the right side added one more to the lead, then a Davis service miscue and errant free ball finished the sweep for the Troubies at 25-17.
In the middle match of Thursday's tripleheader, the junior varsity never trailed save for the opening point of the second set. Outside hitter Layla Alexander led offensively in the 25-6 opener with four kills, while opposite Jessica Dillie added three. Dillie and Gabrielle Rowe continued to exploit Davis' left-side block in the second, with each scoring three more kills on five sets. Credit setters Nika Jafari Makenna Edwards and Sydney Chow for feeding the pins, while Edwards' three consecutive aces highlighted the 9-3 Troubie start to the second set.
With the sweep over Davis, the St. Francis junior varsity now has 24 wins by straight-set victories in 2022. The squad's lone setbacks were both of the split-set variety: 2-1 losses to Oak Ridge (Sept. 3) and Chico (Sept. 24). The Troubies have won 11 straight matches, a streak that includes last Saturday's Carmichael Invitational.
Thursday's match marked the return of PAL Night, an annual match inviting students from throughout the Diocese of Sacramento's Parochial Athletic League. Girls from multiple PAL schools were treated to a special autograph session following the varsity match. PAL Night ran as a lead-in to the school's larger Open House, which takes place at noon on Sunday.
The varsity team was scheduled to compete at the 14th-Annual Stockton Classic, but has withdrawn from the event, in part due to the number of players out with illness. Instead, all three Troubie squads return to action for three road matches next week, starting with Tuesday's visit to Pleasant Grove and culminating with the annual "Holy Court" matchup with Christian Brothers, held October 15 at Cosumnes River College.
