DAVIS, Calif. – Senior opposite Caroline Foraker posted a team-leading 15 kills with a .464 hitting average in front of a hometown crowd, as St. Francis swept host Davis, 25-14, 25-13, 25-15, in the varsity finale of a Delta League girls' volleyball tripleheader Tuesday night.
The Troubadours improve to 8-4 overall and 2-0 in Delta League matches. The varsity victory followed straight-set wins by both the SFHS junior varsity (25-13, 25-8) and frosh (25-15, 25-6).
Foraker committed only two hitting errors on 28 total attacks in compiling her .464 clip. She also served up three aces, among the 14 total by St. Francis varsity in its three-set sweep. Setter Kelsey Magley had a team-high five to go with her 34 assists, while Veronica Datwyler stepped in as a serving specialist for four more.
"I was super-impressed with Caroline tonight. I thought she had one of her best matches," said veteran head coach Alynn Wright. "I liked the way Kelsey [Magley] mixed up her sets, and I thought this was our best serving match of the year. I'm proud of that, it's something we've been working on."
"There are still takeaways from this match. We still need to continue working on being more scrappy defensively and a little crisper on our free-ball passing. But overall, I was really pleased with the way all of the kids played," Wright added.
The matchup up the two longtime rivals was held in DSHS's older gym, rather than the 20-year-old facility next door. The legacy venue has a lower ceiling with exposed beams, which can "cause havoc" with high balls, says Wright.
Senior Olivia Mlikotin added 10 kills, Charlise Rowe chipped in seven kills on 20 swings, while middle blocker Sophia Garza totaled eight kills and a .500 average along with her four blocks at the net.
Although the varsity won by a 3-0 match, each of the three sets saw St. Francis either escaping a deficit or holding off a surging Blue Devil team. Davis rallied back from a 10-5 hole to equalize at 11-11 on a Skylar Schouten dump. However, Mlikotin ended the comeback on an offspeed shot at 12-11, then she and Magley combined for five aces in an 8-2 run to break the game to 19-13.
Mlikotin struck again in the second set, tallying five kills across an 8-3 stretch that flipped a 7-5 deficit into a 15-10 lead. Foraker notched four kills and two aces down the stretch of that second stanza to propel SFHS to a 2-0 match lead. Then in the third, Rowe pounded a four set to the opposite corner to start an 8-0 run that put the Troubies up by a 10-3 early lead. Garza had back-to-back stuffs in that run while Datwyler's jump float resulted in two aces.
St. Francis maintained a comfortable cushion for the remainder of the third, with Mlikotin, Foraker and Rowe scoring multiple kills to close out the sweep. Rowe put down a pass from libero Jackie Smith to establish a 24-15 match point, then Foraker came up with the winner on a kill from well behind the attack line.
"All in all, I thought it was a great team win. I never count Davis out. They're well-coached, they can turn it on a dime, and it happens in this gym in years past. I'm just glad to walk away with a 'W' and playing well."
The Troubies' frosh win was marked by a whopping 18-0 start to the second set. Colleen Medina served up seven aces in that run, with Mercy Collier knocking down a one for that 18th point. The SFHS jayvees also swept their Davis counterparts, with Jessica Dillie notching five kills in the first-set win, and Sydney Chow posting three kills and a service ace in the second. An early 10-1 run in the finale offset a four-point slide to start the game.
All three teams return to action for more Delta League play, this time at home against Pleasant Grove on Thursday. Matches start at 4:30, 5:30 and 6:30 in the main SFHS gym.
