SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Chemistry was the magic formula for the St. Francis Junior Varsity volleyball team. It produced 32 wins, two tournament titles, a win over Christian Brothers and, ultimately, a team ready to impact the next level.

“The winning record was awesome but the chemistry was a huge part of it with this sport,” said Head Coach Taryn Wright. “They had that and their work ethic is going to get them prepared for that (playing varsity). Overall, every single kid improved. It is the main goal for Bill (Hanrahan) and I at this level. They all helped us at some point during the year.”

The Troubadour roster included 11 sophomores and three freshmen who bonded throughout the season into a formidable unit on the court.

“We got better with our chemistry,” said sophomore libero Sam Chavez, one of two team captains. “We got along with each other really well and it brought us closer together on the court.”

The Troubies opened the season with a win over Christian Brothers with a 2-0 sweep .

“It was a very hyped game and we really liked it,” said Chavez. “It prepared us for the season. My favorite moment from the game was when we won the winning point.”

Winning was the contagious for the team as they opened the season with 15 straight wins. Along the way they captured the Christine Craft Tournament hosted by Oak Ridge including wins over Granite Bay, host Oak Ridge and Del Oro en route to the title.

“It really helped us to work together working from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. is a lot of work,” said sophomore Camille Enes, the second captain, of the team’ development during tournament play. “When we all did it together we got a really good result.”

St. Francis dropped their only game to St. Ignatius in the semifinals of the Stockton Invitational. Overall on the season, they lost just four sets.

“Overall, I think we did really well,” said Enes. “We were a really fun team and we improved all the way through the season. The season was a ton of fun.”

They rebounded from the only loss to win a consolation game against Pitman, starting a second winning streak that rolled through the end of the season, totaling 17 games and completing a perfect season in Delta League play.

 “I enjoyed their energy and we could ask them to do anything and they were 100 percent all the time,” said Wright. “It was a fun group and they worked hard. I am going to miss this group. It was a good year.”

Wright credited her captains Enes and Chavez with setting the tone for the team.

“The captains were awesome this year,” said Wright. “They were energetic and loud. They were hustlers. You knew they were going to run through a wall if they needed to. It was the type of leadership this group needed to know it was OK to give all their energy to one play.”