ELK GROVE, Calif. – Senior libero Jacqueline Smith totaled 15 digs and three service aces while senior setter Kelsey Magley distributed 27 assists to all parts of the net, leading St. Francis to a 25-17, 25-20, 26-24 sweep of Pleasant Grove in a battle of the Delta League's two undefeated volleyball teams Thursday night.
The Troubadours improve to 14-5 overall and 3-0 in league play. The Eagles slip to 9-8 for the year and 2-1 in Delta League competition.
Lana Ezeani posted nine kills and hit .333 for the match, Natalie Sandoval added eight kills, while Lily Zeff and Gabrielle Rowe chipped in another six and five kills, respectively. Magley also scooped up eight digs to match Veronica Datwyler, and contributed on two of the team's five blocked shots.
Sandoval did most of her offensive damage in the opening set, hitting 5-for-9 with an ace and a dig. She also served up six straight points to give the Troubies a 24-16 set point. St. Francis continued to roll into the second set, with Amanda Silber posting a kill and a block and Ezeani scoring two kills in a 7-1 start. PG managed to work its way back to a 13-11 deficit after three straight Troubie attacking errors, then closed the gap to 16-14 on a monstrous Ella Snobar kill. However, St. Francis scored five of the next six, with Ezeani delivering two more kills. The Troubies held at least a four-point lead down the stretch in taking a 25-20 win.
The third set proved the most challenging for St. Francis, as the two teams battled to five ties, including deadlocks at 21-21, 22-22 and 24-24. The Eagles led by as much as 8-4 early on, and Snobar's tool later pushed her team to a 10-8 advantage. The Troubies answered with five straight, thanks to two Ellie Carpenter aces and a stuff by Silber and Magley at 13-10.
St. Francis allowed PG back to a 21-21 tie before Magley won a joust in the middle of the tape to go up 22-21. Snobar came up big twice, tying the frame at 22-22 with a kill and 24-24 with a right-side block. Still, Zeff smacked down a kill and the Eagles committed two attack errors and a serve into the net, helping the Troubies finish the match sweep.
The 3-0 varsity win followed a split-set win for the St. Francis JV, which cruised to a 25-13 first set win before falling 25-22 in the second. The Troubies trailed by as much as 14-7, then rallied all the way back to an 18-17 lead after Marissa Jensen teamed with Layla Hernandez for a block. Unfortunately, SF had three hits come up short of the tape, allowing PG to force the rubber set.
Copeland Williams, Mercy Collier and Layla Alexander scored three straight kills to push SF to a 7-3 lead in the third, then Alexander posted two blocks down the stretch (one on an Eagle net violation) to complete the win.
The Troubadour frosh squad dominated in the opening match of Thursday's tripleheader, sweeping the Eagles 25-13, 25-15. Olivia Wedding and Gianna Flesoras each had three aces in the first frame, while Olivia Hurst added two more. Mia Eandi scored one of the most unusual points when her serve reception sneaked over the net and fell into the open court for a kill.
In the second set, Isabella Bollinger, Addison Adams and Brynley Magley were the heavy offensive contributors as St. Francis rode a 10-3 sta4t into a 25-15 win. Ady Davis served up three straight aces to pull the Troubies ahead by as much as 22-6 before PG managed a 9-1 comeback run.
The Troubies JV and frosh each stayed undefeated at 8-0. Both teams head to tournament action this weekend: the JV at Oak Ridge's Christine Craft Invitational, the frosh to the Stockton Classic. Then all three SF squads reunite with the resumption of Delta League play on Tuesday at Elk Grove.
