SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The second-seeded St. Francis volleyball team cruised to a 3-0 win over Lowell Tuesday night in the first round of the Northern California bracket 25-18, 25-17, 25-17.

“We passed better and involved all the hitters,” said Head Coach Alynn Wright. “It was a very balanced attack. We played some good defense. Lowell was a very scrappy, well-disciplined team.”

The Troubadours opened a 9-1 lead in the first set before the Cardinals settled into the match. Lowell cut the lead to four at 21-17 but never got any closer as St. Francis won four of the next five points to close the set.

The Cardinals led early in the second set 8-5 but the Troubies tied it at 10 and went on a 15-7 run to win the second. St. Francis clinched the match with a 25-17 win in the third.

The Troubadours will host Homestead at 7 p.m. Saturday night in second round. Homestead was a 3-0 winner (25-22, 25-16, 25-21) over Heritage in other first round action Tuesday night. Top seed Granite Bay defeated Skyline in three, while Palo Alto won a tight five-set match against San Ramon Valley.