CARMICHAEL, Calif. – St. Francis junior varsity won six consecutive matches in straight sets, including a 25-17, 28-26 sweep of Oak Ridge in the final, to capture the Carmichael Invitational Volleyball Tournament at Capital Sports Center Saturday. The Troubadour frosh squad also advanced to the championship match, also against the Trojans. By agreement between the two teams, St. Francis and Oak Ridge played a single-set finale, with the Trojans claiming a 25-19 win.
The CIVT marks the third time St. Francis jayvees have reached a tournament finale in 2022, each time against Oak Ridge. The Trojans won their own Chris Craft Memorial Invitational in early September, but the Troubies won the 14th Stockton Classic one week ago, followed by Saturday's event in Carmichael.
St. Francis' championship run began with a 25-6, 27-25 victory over Nevada Union at 8 a.m. It followed with sweeps of McClatchy (25-7, 25-19) and Lincoln of Stockton (25-10, 25-12) to finish pool play. In bracket play, the Troubies rolled through Rio Americano (25-15, 25-11) and Del Oro (25-16, 25-14) before concluding with the battle with ORHS.
The frosh also made quick work in pool play, sweeping River City (25-11, 25-16), Weston Ranch (25-13, 25-8) and Nevada Union (25-12, 25-19). With a bye in the 12-team bracket, the Troubies then beat Davis in the quarterfinals, 25-21, 25-18, before escaping with a split set win over Chico in the semifinal. They opened with a rousing 25-11 win in the first set, lost a close 25-22 second, then won the third-set showdown, 15-11.
Oak Ridge then avenged its three-set losses in the non-conference meeting on September 8 and the title match at the 14th Stockton Classic on September 17 with the 25-19 win in Saturday's frosh finale.
The CIVT concludes tournament play for the two St. Francis sub-varsity squads. All three teams return to action for a Delta League tripleheader with Davis on Thursday. The evening marks the return of PAL Night, to which students from the Diocese of Sacramento's Parochial Athletic League are invited to an autograph session with the SFHS varsity team.
