SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis volleyball team advanced to the third round of the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs with a 25-14, 25-13, 25-14 win Tuesday night over Merced.

“We felt that we played really well and pretty scrappy,” said senior Ali Koumelis, who will sign with Portland on Wednesday. “We are ready to stay aggressive.”

The Troubadours opened with six straight points against the Bears in the opening set. Merced closed to within four at 16-12 but St. Francis won nine of the next 11 points to win the set 25-14. The Bears had their only lead at 1-0 in the second but St. Francis scored eight straight to cruise to a 25-13 win. The third set featured a tie at 4 before Koumelis served six straight points. St. Francis closed out the match with a 24-14 win.

“We are trying to be the aggressor in every situation whether it is serving or defense,” said Koumelis.

Head Coach Alynn Wright was pleased with the effort after a week off following the regular season.

“We started off strong in all three sets but we made some careless errors,” said Wright. “Merced did a good job of playing defense and serving us tough. We responded pretty well. It was great to see everyone play and contribute.”

St. Francis improved to 30-7 on the season. They will host Rodriguez on Thursday. They advanced with a 3-0 win over Nevada Union (25-21, 25-23, 25-23).

It will be a rematch from the 2012 section playoffs with Rodriguez.

“It is going to be a battle,” said Wright. “We are going to have to be on our game.”

Ticket prices are $7 for adults, $5 for students and children 5 and under are free.