SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sophomore Hailey Sutton posted team highs of 15 kills and 12 digs while junior Chloe Johnson added nine kills and a .333 hitting average, but St. Francis ultimately came out on the losing end of a 25-18, 22-25, 25-23, 22-25, 15-10 battle with Pleasant Grove in the varsity nightcap of a non-league girls' volleyball tripleheader Wednesday night.
The Troubadours even their record to 2-2. The matchup was a battle of last year's Delta League co-champions, each of whom sported an 11-1 mark in 2023. The Eagles remain in the Delta this fall, while St. Francis begins its first season in the Sierra Foothill League.
Johnson, largely a serving specialist for the varsity this season, had ranked among the Troubie junior varsity's top pin hitters in her first two years. She had just one attacking error in 24 swings en route to the .333 clip. Sophomores Sophia Palmeri and Gilly Glikman provided another seven and six kills, respectively. Glikman contributed on two of the team's eight blocks, as also did Isabella Ramos.
Senior Nika Jafari and junior Katie Kramer largely split up the setting duties for the night, with Jafari finishing with 22 assists and 10 digs.
Junior Gigi Dickerson highlighted the Troubies from the service line, posting three aces with no errors.
Prior to the varsity finale, St. Francis junior varsity swept PG, 2-0, although set scores are not available. The Troubie frosh outlasted the Eagles in three sets to start the night, rolling to a 25-12 win in the opening set, dropping a 26-24 battle in the second, then coming away with a 15-10 victory in the rubber set. SF fought back from a 17-13 hole to take a 22-18 edge in the second before surrendering eight of the final 10 points to force the equalizer frame.
All three teams being SFL play next week with a road match at Rocklin on Monday followed by a home date with Folsom on Wednesday. In the meantime, St. Francis varsity competes in the two-day Central California Classic, hosted at various sites in Merced; while the Troubie JV heads to Folsom for the Bulldog Bash on Saturday.
