SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior libero Jacqueline Smith scooped up a match-high 21 digs and served up four aces, while senior setter Kelsey Magley ran the offense to a .287 hitting average, with fellow 12th-graders Caroline Foraker, Lana Ezeani and Lily Zeff combining for 27 kills and a .403 clip, as St. Francis swept Christian Brothers by scores of 25-12, 25-15 and 25-21 in the varsity finale of the "Holy Court" volleyball rivarly matchup Saturday afternoon.
The Troubadours improve to 4-3 for the year. The SF frosh squad went the distance in its win over the Falcons, prevailing 25-15, 22-25, 15-3; while the Troubie junior varsity swept CB in two close sets of 27-25, 25-22. Holy Court is the much-anticipated annual matchup between the Sacramento area's top two Catholic high school girls' volleyball programs.
Foraker finished errorless with 10 kills on 19 swings for a .526 success rate. Ezeani hit 9-2-24 (.292), mostly from the left pin; while Zeff went 8-2-14 (.429) at middle blocker. SF also enjoyed key contributions from setter Sydney Chow, who came off the bench to seal the second set with back-to-back aces. Veronica Datwyler chipped in a pair of aces to go with seven digs. Sophia Van Ness (6), Hailey Sutton (2) and Amanda Silber (2) provided additional offense for the Troubies, which had lost their three previous matches leading into Saturday's home opener.
Foraker largely ruled the first-set win, scoring seven kills. Ezeani tooled the CB net defense three times during a 12-2 run that stretched a close 9-8 battle to a 21-10 lead in that frame as well. Chow's aces to close the second were among four in the final stretch, helping SF break loose from a 14-12 edge midway through. Smith recorded one ace by virtue of a Falcon rotation error, then followed with another by flummoxing the receive line, making it 22-13. She nearly made it three straight when her serve caught the top of the tape. However, the ball fell back on her side rather than nosing over into the CB court. Nonetheless, Zeff posted her fourth kill of the set for the 23rd point, sending Chow to the service line for the final two clicks.
The Troubies never trailed in the third, altough they did allow CB to pull within a single point three times. The third such instance, thanks to Kemyah Harris' blast on a four ball, pulled the Falcons to a 15-14 deficit. However, St. Francis was gifted a side out on a serve missed long. Troubie junior Sophia Van Ness then scored three of the next four: a kill from the left pin at 17-14, another on a roll shot at 18-15, then a block assist with Zeff to go ahead by four at 19-15.
CB continued to battle down the stretch, with junior Sydney Wallin scoring a kill on a backhanded swing to cut the margin to 21-19. But Zeff managed two kills on the final four SF points, while Van Ness had a serve flip over the tape for an ace during the last run.
St. Francis collected 62 toal digs in the three sets for the second time in a week. Magley added 11 to Smith's 21, with Van Ness (9) and Datwyler (7) posting defensive touches to supplement their serve-receive duties.
The varsity win followed a St. Francis JV victory that provided its share of thrills, despite a misleading 2-0 match score. Despite Troubie leads of 10-3 and 15-10, the two teams locked up into six ties, including 24-24 and 25-25, before a serve into the net and a Marissa Jensen kill finished the opener at 27-25.
Mercy Collier had six kills in the first set, then Lili Haddad led the way with five in the second. In similar fashion to the first, St. Francis took an early lead in the second, with two Haddad kills crafting a 7-2 start. Still, the Falcons worked their way back, and even took a 10-9 lead before an errant down ball and a net violation restored the SF advantage. The two rivals battled to four more ties, including one at 22-22 on a tool by CB freshman Annabelle Senitte. Still, the Troubie veterans came through at the end. Junior middle Copeland Williams put back a stray free ball for a 24-22 match point, then she teamed with opposite Jessica Dillie for a stuff for the 25th.
The jayvees' thriller came on the heels of a split-set frosh victory for St. Francis. The Troubies led wire-to-wire in the first set, with Audrey Bashore serving up three of her team's six aces in the stanza. Gilly Glikman had three kills in the first (plus another four in the second) while combining with Anna McVicar for a big block to make it 21-15. With Trinity Ito at the service line, CB struggled with its transition, commiting three unforced errors in the final 4-0 SF run.
Despite Glikman's offense plus timely kills from Ito, Grace Biery and Isabella Bollinger, Christian Brothers mostly stayed a step ahead of its hosts throughout the second. Bashore scored on a cross-court shot for a side out, then followed with an ace to put SF back up by 14-13, but the Falcons scored nine of the next 13 points to take a 23-19 lead. A few CB miscues and an Ito putback closed the gap to two at 24-22, but an attacking error ultimately decided the set, forcing a third.
St. Francis stormed nearly unchallenged through the third, taking a 9-0 start behind three straight Bashore aces. McVicar and Addison Adams each had a kill and a solo stuff to add to the third-set highlight reel.
The Troubies' JV and frosh teams both remain unbeaten at 3-0. All three teams continue a five-match homestand on Tuesday against McClatchy. Start times are scheduled for 4:30, 5:30 and 6:30 p.m.
