SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Outside hitter Lana Ezeani posted 14 kills, middle blocker Lily Zeff added 13 kills and a .440 average, and libero Jacqueline Smith served up four aces and led four Troubies with double-figure digs, as St. Francis overcame a Set 2 stumble by defeating Franklin in four sets, 25-11, 19-25, 25-20, 25-18, to kick off the Delta League girls' volleyball season Tuesday night.
The Troubadour varsity improves to 6-4 overall and opens its final season in the Delta League with a 1-0 mark.
Meanwhile, each of the SF frosh and junior varsity squads remain undefeated at 6-0, thanks to sweeps against the Wildcats. The frosh won quickly by scores of 25-6, 25-10; while the JV followed in decisive fashion, 25-15, 25-13.
Smith scooped up 23 digs to pace the Troubie floor defense, with Sophia Van Ness (17), Veronica Datwyler (13) and Sydney Chow (12) contributing toward the team total of 86. Senior setter Kelsey Magley logged 39 assists and ran the offense to a .201 hitting percentage, including a .300 clip (11-2-30) in that dominating opening set.
Smith had three of her aces in a 12-2 finish to the first, but St. Francis struggled to just 10 kills in its second-set loss. In fact, after a 7-4 start in which Amanda Silber put down two kills and teamed with Hailey Sutton on a block, the Troubies scored six of their remaining 12 points thanks to Franklin miscues rather than their own offense: four side outs came from Wildcat service errors. Setter Ella Cline served up two aces and sophomore Karsyn Modica took part in two blocks as Franklin pulled away from a 17-15 deficit to take a 25-19 win, equalizing the match.
The Troubies regrouped in the third and fourth sets, with Ezeani posting five kills in each frame. Junior Gabrielle Rowe also provided a late spark, coming off the bench for two blocks in the fourth. Zeff, who had five kills in the first set, provided another seven in the third- and fourth-set victories for SF.
St. Francis varsity heads to the San Joaquin Valley to take part in the Central California Classic tournament on Friday and Saturday. The three Troubie teams then return to league action with a home tripleheader with Davis on September 12. That match is the annual PAL night, in which all students from the Parochial Athletic League schools are admitted free. The Troubie varsity will finish the night with an autograph session for all fans.
