Athletic News
Volleyball Defeats El Camino
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis varsity volleyball team defeated El Camino in three sets 25-17, 25-14, 25-17 in the final prep for Delta League play Tuesday night.
“It felt amazing and was a really fun experience,” said junior Jessica Gianulias. “We were all really happy on the court and had a good time playing.”
St. Francis (6-7) starts Delta League play on Thursday against Pleasant Grove.
“We are excited and ready,” said Gianulias.
Head Coach Alynn Wright said the team had a good team effort and got contributions from across the roster.
Senior Barthels Scores Seven Goals in 15-6 Win
CARMICHAEL, Calif. – Senior Jenna Barthels scored seven goals to lead St. Francis water polo to a 15-6 win over El Camino Monday night. She leads the team with 20 goals on the season.
“We feel good,” said Barthels. “We have to work on our 6 on 5 but we are going to come out just as strong in our next few games.”
St. Francis (5-1) scored four goals in the first period and nine in the second and never looked back in winning their home opener. The game was broadcast live on TroubieTV.
Tennis Sweeps Elk Grove in League Match 9-0
ELK GROVE, Calif. – The St. Francis tennis team swept Elk Grove 9-0 Monday in a Delta League dual match, dropping just seven games in singles and four in doubles in one of their best matches of the season.
The Troubadours got straight set wins by Avery Spector, Kyla Jackson, Kiya Jackson, Marisa Fat, Abby Benvenuti and Myra Anwar in singles.
Golf Wins First Delta League Center Match
ELK GROVE, Calif. – Sophomore Chase Saca and senior Kristi Lee both carded six-over par rounds of 82 to lead St. Francis to a 57-stroke victory in the first Delta League Center match at Wildhawk golf course on Monday.
Saca and Lee tied for third overall behind Marie Dean of Davis, who shot a four-over par 76. Courtney Cervelin of Franklin posted a 78 to place second in the field.
The Troubadours five-player total of 417 easily out-distanced Elk Grove (474) and Davis (482).
Vandegrift Leads Cross Country at Ed Sias Invite
MARTINEZ, Calif. – Sophomore Sydney Vandegrift was fourth overall and the fastest sophomore in the field with a time of 12:19 at the Ed Sias Invitational on Saturday. The Troubadours finished seventh overall.
Vandegrift was the top finisher for St. Francis. Senior Chase Worthen was 23rd overall (13:01), while sophomore Ava Nkadi was 39th (13:30). Junior Allie Lourim was 66th (14:20) and senior Juliet Batturaro crossed the line 76th (14:31). Other finishers in the varsity race included Alanna Appel (97th) and Isabella Saca (120th).
Junior Varsity Water Polo Wins Three at McClatchy Tournament
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis junior varsity water polo team went undefeated in three games in the McClatchy JV Tournament on Saturday.
St. Francis defeated El Camino 9-5, Rio Americano 7-2 and McClatchy 13-3.
First TroubieTV Broadcast Monday
Water Polo vs. El Camino Live at 7:15 p.m.
St. Francis is excited to provide fans with live-stream broadcasts of Troubadours athletic events! If you are unable to attend a Troubadours sporting event, you don’t have to miss out on the action! Watch our games live online on the NFHS Network from anywhere in the world on your iPhone, Android, tablet or computer.
Water Polo Splits Two in Tournament
ATHERTON, Calif. – Maggie Oys and Jenna Barthels combined for seven goals as St. Francis defeated St. Ignatius Friday at the St. Francis Autumn Invitational.
The Troubadours jumped out to a 5-1 and cruised to the victory as seven players scored in the match. Seniors Kira Chavez, Caroline Urkov, Julie Zanobini and Sam Reinl scored. Junior Hannah Warren and sophomore Kobe Carpenter also added a goal for St. Francis.
Barthels added four assists in the game, while Urkov had three.
Freshman Alcoran Leads Golf to Win in League Opener
ROSEVILLE, Calif. – Freshman Olivia Alcoran shot a five-over par 41 to lead St. Francis to dual match victory over Pleasant Grove to open Delta League play Wednesday at Morgan Creek Golf Club.
The Troubadours posted five of the top six scores in the match led by Alcoran in her first high school match. Seniors Kate Swanson and Makia Fang were one stroke back with rounds of 42, while sophomore Chase Saca and senior Kristi Lee each carded rounds of 45. Sophomore Lauren Allen posted a score of 50.
Water Polo Scores 19 in Win over Granite Bay
GRANITE BAY, Calif. – Senior Maggie Oys scored five times among six players who tallied multiple goals in the game as St. Francis opened the 2015 season with a 19-5 win over Granite Bay.
Senior Caroline Urkov, sophomore Kobe Carpenter and senior Julie Zanobini each scored three goals in the win, while senior Jennalyn Barhtels and Kira Chavez scored two each.
St. Francis competes in the St. Francis Autumn Invitational on Friday and Saturday in Mountain View.
St. Francis 19, Granite Bay 5
Tennis Opens League with Win over Pleasant Grove
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior Avery Spector posted a straight set win at No. 1 singles as St. Francis cruised to an 8-1 win in the Delta League opener against Pleasant Grove at Rio del Oro Racquet Club.
St. Francis swept all six singles matches in straight sets. Sophomores Kyla and Kiya Jackson claimed wins at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, respectively. Sophomore Marisa Fat was a 6-1, 6-1 winner at No. 4 and Annie Gianulias and Abby Benvenuti completed the sweep at No. 5 and 6 singles.
Cross Country Alumnae Start This Weekend
Good luck to the seven former Troubies opening their NCAA Cross Country seasons this week. Recent graduates Miranda Myers (Northern Arizona) and Peyton Bilo (Cal Poly) will have their first collegiate races this weekend. Susan Frazier ’12 will run for Colorado School of Mines, while Santa Clara’s Camille Dyer will toe the line in San Francisco at the USD Invite. Lauren LaRocco ’14 was the Freshman of the Year for the Portland Pilots last season, while classmate Madison Rawson runs for Ole Miss. Melanie Stralen ’13 will run for Gonzaga this season.
Holy Court – St. Francis at Christian Brothers (Sept. 3, 2015)
Collection of photos from 2015 Holy Court by Phil Roina and Assistant Athletic Director Steve Shaff.
Holy Court Decided in Five Sets
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis volleyball team battled five sets before falling to Christian Brothers in front of a sold out crowd Thursday in the annual Holy Court matchup between the schools.
“This is the hardest we have ever fought,” said sophomore Aiyu Aimufua. “If anything it makes us want to work even harder. We brought our all today and I think there are only better things to come for us.”
St. Francis won the opening set 25-15 and briefly quieted the home crowd for the Falcons. But Christian Brothers won the second set 25-15 to equal the match at 1.
Holy Court to be Broadcast Tape-Delayed by Access Sacramento
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis volleyball match at Christian Brothers on Thursday, Sept. 3 will be broadcast on a tape-delayed basis by Access Sacramento. The broadcast is scheduled to be shown on Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 7 p.m.
Access Sacramento can be seen on Comcast and Consolidated Communications (SureWest) cable on Channel 17 and on AT&T U-Verse Channel 14 and 99. Broadcasts are also streamed on the internet on www.AccessSacramento.org (Push Watch TV Channel 17).
Volleyball Falls in Five Sets to Oak Ridge
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Oak Ridge pulled out a 3-2 win over St. Francis Monday night in the Sac-Joaquin Section Foundation game in the season opener for both schools. Oak Ridge held on to claim the fifth set 15-11 after posting a 2-0 lead in the match.
“It was a great opener for us,” said Head Coach Alynn Wright. “The kids showed a lot of heart and desire. They played for each other. We had some adversity in the match and it would have been easy for them to fold because of their youth. I thought they rose to the occasion.”
Sophomore Vandegrift Wins Title at Oakmont Invitational
ROSEVILLE, Calif. – Sophomore Sydney Vandegrift won the Frosh/Soph race at the Oakmont Invitational Saturday, leading a group of four Troubadours in the Top 10 as St. Francis. She clocked a time of 14:42 to win the race by a minute, posting a time that would have been in the top five in the varsity race.
“It felt really great because I trained really hard this summer,” said Vandegrift. “It was great to see the work pay off.”
Vandegrift took over the lead early in the race and was left to pace herself with a little help.
Tennis Wins B.O.S.S. Tournament to Open Season
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis tennis team won the Best of Sacramento Showcase Saturday with a 9-0 win over McClatchy, completing a perfect opening weekend. The Troubadours advanced to the finals with a 9-0 win over Bella Vista Saturday morning and opened the tournament with a 6-3 win over Granite Bay.
“We went in trying to play the best of our abilities and the best that we can,” said Head Coach Kristi Spector. “Everyone stepped up. The scores did not indicate how tough the matches were. They were on the court for a long time.”
Water Polo to Scrimmage in Mountain View
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis water polo programs will scrimmage on Saturday at St. Francis Mountain View with teams from Clovis and St. Francis. Both teams will play three matches and the scrimmages will consist of 5 nine-minute running periods with a two-minute break. The JV will play 5 seven-minute periods.
St. Francis Scramble
9 a.m. – St. Francis JV vs. St. Francis MV JV
1030am – St. Francis Varsity vs. St. Francis MV Varsity
1215pm – St. Francis Varsity vs. Clovis Varsity
Tennis Team Opens Play at B.O.S.S. Tournament
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis tennis team opens the 2015 season Friday at the Best of Sacramento Showcase Tennis Tournament. The Troubadours open up against Granite Bay at 3:30 p.m. on Friday at Feist Park.
Matches continue on Saturday with the winner’s bracket at Rocklin High School at 10:30 a.m. and the loser’s bracket at Whitney High School.
St. Francis went 2-1 and finished fifth in the Best of Sacramento Showcase last season. The Troubadours defeated McClatchy 7-2 and Roseville 8-1 after opening the tournament with a 5-4 loss to Del Oro Friday.