By Mike Finnerty
mike.finnerty@surewestsports.com
Heading into the season, no other Sacramento area volleyball team had won as many section titles as the St. Francis Troubadours.
From 1991 to 2005, St. Francis captured eight Sac-Joaquin Section Division III titles, they added another in Division II with a win over Rocklin in 2007, and with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-21) win Thursday over St. Mary’s of Stockton in the Division I championship match at U.C. Davis, the Troubadours added an 11th section volleyball banner to their already growing collection.
“I’m really proud of the girls,” said St. Francis head coach Alynn Wright. “We came prepared, and focused and played together as a team. They did everything in our game plan and I’m real proud of them.”
The opening set was close throughout, but St. Francis began to surge ahead late taking leads of 13-12 and 22-21 before winning it 25-22.
In the second set the Troubadours caught fire early with a 21-11 lead that would ultimately lead to a second set victory.
St. Mary’s fought back from a 20-14 deficit in the third set, and tied the scored at 21-21, but St. Francis tallied the final four points with big hits coming from Paige Folger and Allie Wegener, and the match winner off a blast by Loni Kreun.
St. Francis (37-5) finished a season as about as well one team can do with a 26-game winning streak. The Troubadours' last defeat came against Frontier of Bakersfield back on September 26 in the Archbishop Mitty Tournament.
“I’m really happy with the result tonight. It’s a little bit of a ‘come on, let’s show them we weren’t as bad as we played last year’ and I’m really excited for the girls,” said Wright.
Last year St. Francis made its debut in Division I by making it all the way to the section championship, only to be swept in three games by St. Mary’s. The win gave St. Mary’s it's 12 overall section title in girl's volleyball.
The Troubadours got a complete team performance led by the likes of Gabriella Palmeri, Folger, and Kreun.
Folger, the lone senior on the squad, was pleased with the outcome.
“It’s just been great to play with a great group of girls. They have really been supportive and have helped make the best of my last year.”
St. Francis appeared to play with more emotion and like a team that was on mission.
“We definitely plan to go all the way,” said Folger. “It’s great to see all of our hard work in practice pay off every step of the way, so we’re very excited for what’s next.”
There will be a few days to celebrate the win, before NorCal playoffs begin at home sites on November 22.