FOLSOM, Calif. – Junior Sophia Palmeri knocked down 10 kills, while junior Hailey Sutton led her team with three aces and a career-high 22 digs, but a third-set outburst did not fully erase a 2-0 match deficit as St. Francis lost at Folsom by scores of 25-18, 25-18, 21-25 and 25-16 in Sierra Foothill League girls' volleyball action Wednesday night.
The Troubadours slip to 13-2 overall and 0-2 in SFL matches. The Bulldogs improve to 12-3 for the year with a 2-0 league mark.
Palmeri committed just two errors on her team-leading 38 attacks in the match. Sutton's 22 digs surpasses her previous best of 17, done in a five-set match against Pleasant Grove eight days earlier. The middle blocker tandem of Marissa Jensen and Mercy Collier combined for an errorless 6-for-12 hitting, with Jensen also contributing two of St. Francis' five total blocks.
The Troubies pounded away for a .417 hitting average in the third set, with 11 kills against just one error. However, the managed 24 kills with 17 errors for a clip of .065 in the other three sets.
The SF varsity loss followed a pair of split-set wins for the Troubadour frosh and JV squads. Frosh had a wild ride, winning the opener, 25-9, before dropping a 25-14 second set, then finishing with a 15-8 in the rubber frame. Meanwhile in the opposite gym, the jayvees battled to two close sets of 25-20 and 23-25 before storming to a 15-6 finish in the third. Freshman Hassanah Ramsey-Gilbert delivered 10 kills with a .500 average (10-1-18) for JV, with Sophia Yiakis, Delaney McGahan and Tiara Lee each adding four kills. McGahan also served up three aces in the win.
St. Francis varsity resumes action in Monday's league road tripleheader at Granite Bay, but the two subvarsity squads compete in the Carmichael Invitational at Capital Sports Center on Saturday. Opponents and match times are not yet available for the CIVT, as such pairings depend on the final field.
