FOLSOM, Calif. – Junior middle blocker Marissa Jensen contributed on four of her team's six total blocks while senior defensive specialist Mana Jafari served up three aces, but seventh-seeded St. Francis came up short against second-seeded Folsom in the second round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I girls' volleyball championship tournament Thursday night.

The Troubadours lost by scores of 25-20, 25-21, 25-19 to finish their season at 23-13 overall. This marked the first year in the Sierra Foothill League, of which the Bulldogs are members, and the first under head coach Taryn Campbell.

The match also marked the finale for a large group of seniors, including eight – Natalie Sandoval, Isabella Ramos, Mana Jafari, Gabrielle Rowe, Sydney Chow, Nika Jafari, Jessica Dillie, and manager Copeland Williams – who played together on the 2021 frosh team and have come all the way through the program for four years.

The Troubadours managed just 22 total kills with 24 attacking errors for a minus-.019 average, with Folsom coming up with seven stuffs of its own. Jensen's four kills matched right-sider Gilly Glikman and came up one shy of outside Hailey Sutton for the team lead, but the junior middle was among the only hitter to finish in the positive in terms of attacking efficiency: 4-1-9 for a .333 clip.

The Jafari twins had five of the six aces, with posting one each near the end of the second and third sets. Libero Malia Fat posted the six aces to go along with her six digs.

St. Francis held leads in each of the first two sets, including a 15-12 edge in a first set that featured 10 ties. The final equalizer came on a Jensen kill to make it 20-20, but the Bulldogs responded with five straight points – two on aces by senior outside Madeline Seabury –  to grab the win. Then in the second set, the Troubies pulled their way out of an initial 5-1 hole, then scored three straight to turn a 12-11 deficit into a 14-12 lead. Sutton's pipe equalized at 12-12, then she smacked down a four ball to give SF its first lead of the frame at 13-12.

The Bulldogs' sophomore Addison Smith and senior Brooklyn Graham quickly erased that lead with kills from the right pin, igniting an overall 9-2 run that left Folsom with a 21-16 advantage. SF staged a brief comeback, with Nika Jafari's ace and a double-hit ball-handling error holding off two set points, but Smith's tool finished the job and gave the hosts a 2-0 match lead.

Folsom stormed to a 10-3 start to the third set and never allowed St. Francis to closer than a five-point cushion for the remainder. Sophomore Avery Masters combined with Graham for two blocks and delivered on three kills as part of the 8-2 run to kick off the frame. Masters added another kill and she not only covered a block, but knocked it back into Troubie territory for the 16th point.

Jensen had two kills and a block assist with Rowe, while Nika Jafari served up an ace and Collier stuffed Masters late in the third, but by then, Folsom had crafted a 24-17 septuple match point to move on to the SJS semifinal.

The SJS playoff run continues a tradition for St. Francis volleyball that includes 21 appearances in the section final, with 13 total championships.