SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior middle blocker Sophia Garza hit an errorless nine kills on 11 swings to lead St. Francis varsity to a .386 hitting average and a 25-4, 25-15, 25-13 sweep of Elk Grove to close out a Delta League girls' volleyball tripleheader Tuesday night.
The Troubadours improve to 12-6 for the season, and stay unbeaten at 4-0 in league play. The varsity followed straight-set sweeps by the St. Francis frosh, which dispatched the Thundering Herd by 25-8 and 25-14 scores; and the junior varsity, which prevailed by a final of 25-16, 25-12.
Besides Garza, senior outside hitter Olivia Mlikotin hit from both pins in Tuesday's varsity win to the tune of seven kills and a .583 hitting average. She also served up three aces, matching teammate Caroline Foraker's team-high total. Another senior, Sofia Alkire, tallied four kills on just five attack attempts. Overall, St. Francis managed 36 kills with just nine hitting miscues to finish at .386.
Impressively, the Troubies accomplished across three different setters. Senior Kate Fobes had nine assists and junior Kelsey Magley, who has started most matches in 2022, had four. However, junior reserve Elizabeth Gibbons saw considerable court time in the second and third sets, finishing with 13 dimes.
"It was fun to see everybody have a part in the game and do well," said SFHS head coach Alynn Wright. "I thought we played really, especially in the first set. We took care of business, then we were able to work on a few things. A lot of kids got playing time and we took some good, aggressive swings. I thought we served well. These are things we worked on in practice, so that's good. All in all, a good match for everyone."
Wright also lauded the return to form for her Troubie varsity squad, which played four matches at Oak Ridge's Christine Craft Memorial Invitational just three days prior, and showed some fatigue in Monday's practice. "It was good to see them a little more rested today, and playing a little more like themselves," she said.
Junior Lana Ezeani saw reps on the left side, responding with three kills. Middle blocker Lily Zeff made her St. Francis debut with a pair of kills and a block assist. Ellie Carpenter and Maddison Sundermeier stepped in as serving specialists but also patrolled the back row for numerous rotations, combining for five digs.
Junior Veronica Datwyler proved to be a game-changer in the second set, serving up a run of nine unanswered to turn an early 8-6 deficit into a 15-8 lead. St. Francis stayed at least six points ahead the rest of the way. Mlikotin, normally the team's L1 on the left side, ripped two kills from the right pin down the stretch of that frame.
The Herd remained close to its hosts for the early going of the third set, trailing just 9-8 when Alkire nearly chased a spectacular dig into the home stands. The ball made its way to the left side to Mlikotin, who fired cross-court for the kill. This began a 10-2 run for the Troubies, which included Zeff and Garza scoring kills in the middle followed by a Sundermeier ace at 17-10, plus five Elk Grove unforced errors. Garza had five kills in the third set alone, almost exclusively on one sets but also against an errant free ball that strayed over the net.
Like their elders on the varsity, both SFHS frosh and JV teams went deep into their rosters to summon victories from the Herd. Jade Abalateo took the libero jersey for the night in the frosh win, yet managed a couple of kills early in the first set. Middle blocker Antonija Jezildzic scored five kills in the opener and added three more in the second to lead the frosh offense. Ellie Schaerli served up two of the Troubies' five aces in that 25-8 win in Set 1, while Justine Stegall had two aces and two kills in the 25-14 second-set win. Mercy Collier made the highlight reel with smackdowns on a pair of one balls in the middle, while Reese Walker notched a solo block late in the frame. Outside hitter Kiera McManus, another usual suspect on the left side, had two unusual kills in Set 2: one on a bump overpass that fell untouched in the team's 8-1 start, then a shot from beyond the 10-foot line during her own serving rotation at the 17-5 mark.
In the JV win, Jessica Dillie has four kills in the 25-16 first set to lead the Troubies offensively. Lola Quintanar had two aces and Natalie Sandoval delivered a pair of kills in a late run that put SF up by a 22-11 advantage. In the second set, Makenna Edwards served up five straight points to lead off, including a jump float that stymied the EGHS serve-receive line. Sophomore Gabrielle Rowe smashed a pair of kills down the right line while freshman Chloe Johnson worked the left side for two more kills, increasing the Troubies' lead to 18-3. Elk Grove managed to get into double digits before a serve went into the net for 24-12 match point. Sandoval finished the job and the 2-0 sweep with her kill on a four ball.
Tuesday marked the third straight tripleheader and fourth overall that the three St. Francis teams went a combined 7-0 in match scores. All three squads return to action for a Delta League road trip to Sheldon on Thursday. Match times are the usual 4:30, 5:30 and 6:30 p.m.
