Athletic News
Tennis Defeats Sheldon 6-3
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior Jane Sadler won at No. 1 singles and St. Francis won five of the six singles matches en route to a 6-3 victory over Sheldon. The Troubadours got singles wins from Anna Kropf, Perneet Powar, Eden Elliott and Marcela Sosa.
Sheldon won two of the three doubles matches. Michal Dial and Abby Benvenuti combined for a 6-1, 6-3 win at No. 1 doubles for the Troubies.
St. Francis sat their top two players in singles, showing the depth of the roster.
St. Francis (5-1) hosts Oak Ridge on Tuesday.
ST. FRANCIS 6, SHELDON 3
LaRocco Breaks DRL Record
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis senior Lauren LaRocco ran a personal-best 17:18 at Granite Regional Park at the Delta River League meet to win the race in a course and league record time. St. Francis placed 1-2-3 with four in the top five and five in the top 10 to claim the race with 21 points.
“Madison was pushing me for the first mile and it is a relatively flat course,” said LaRocco. “It felt like a hard workout. It was nice with everyone cheering. There was a lot of support out there today.”
MacDonald Leads Golf with Career-Best 35
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior Ileana MacDonald shot a career-best one-under par 35 to lead the St. Francis golf team to a two-stroke victory at Haggin Oaks Wednesday.
The Troubadours posted a 202 team score to defeat Oak Ridge (204) by just two strokes.
Senior Emily Laskin carded an even-par 36 to record the second-best round on the day. Sophomore Kate Swanson shot a 43 filling in for senior Victoria Vardanega, who missed the match due to illness.
Victoria Ramirez equaled the 43 and Mikia Fang recorded a 45. Sophomore Kristi Lee rounded out the scoring with a 49.
Tennis Defeats Pleasant Grove 8-1
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis tennis team improved to 4-1 with an 8-1 victory over Pleasant Grove Tuesday. The Troubadours swept all six singles matches and two of the three doubles matches. St. Francis travels to Sheldon at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday.
ST. FRANCIS 8, PLEASANT GROVE 1
Singles
Water Polo Scores 18 in Win over Laguna Creek
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis water polo team posted an 18-4 victory over Laguna Creek Tuesday at Rio del Oro Racquet Club. Eight players had multiple goal games to lead the winning effort.
The Troubadours jumped out to a 6-0 after the first period with two goals by Marissa Zanobini and Jenna Bellinger. Maggie Oys and Julie Zanobini, who finished with two goals, also scored in the opening period.
“We had seven players out today so their teammates had to step in and fill the void and we had success,” said head coach Heather Moody. “It was a good game.”
Tennis Records Second Sweep of the Week
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis tennis team posted a 9-0 victory on Thursday over Folsom, recording their second sweep of the week.
Sophomore Avery Spector led the singles sweep without dropping a game with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Joanne Wu at No. 1 singles. Seniors Kendall Spector and Jane Sadler both won at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, respectively.
“I am so proud of how the whole team fought hard through the super windy conditions today,” said Avery Spector. “It shows the depth and strength of each player…..I love this team!”
Volleyball Breaks into MaxPreps Top 25 Computer Rankings
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis volleyball team is ranked No. 22 in the nation in the MaxPreps Computer Rankings released Thursday.
The Troubadours (16-3) won their fourth consecutive game Wednesday against Ponderosa with a straight set victory 25-18, 25-17, 25-15 to open Delta River League play.
The Troubadours are one of five teams in the state ranked by MaxPreps, including No. 3 Torrey Pines, No. 10 La Salle (Pasadena), No. 18 Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) and No. 23 Valley Christian (San Jose).
Golf Team Shoots Season Best 197
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis golf team shot a season-best 197 against Sheldon. Emily Laskin shot a one-under par 35 to lead the team. Victoria Vardanega posted a two-over par 38, while sophomore Kristi Lee and Ileana MacDonald each recorded five-over par rounds of 41. Sophomore Kate Swanson shot a 42 and Victoria Ramirez carded a 45. Sheldon did not post a team score with only three players in the match.
ST. FRANCIS 197, SHELDON FORFEIT
9 holes at Wildhawk GC, par 36
Water Polo Defeats Oak Ridge 12-3
Water Polo posted a 12-3 victory over Oak Ridge Tuesday. The Troubadours got two goals each from Hannah Frech, Caroline Urkov, Lauren Charter and Maggie Oys. Annie Rafeld, Jennalyn Barthels, Bella Smith and Julie Zanobini also scored in the game.
ST. FRANCIS 12, OAK RIDGE 3
SF-Frech 2, Charter 2, Urkov 2, Oys 2, Rafeld, Smith, J. Barthels, J. Zanobini. OR–Uthoff 2, Jones.
Tennis Sweeps Ponderosa for Second Victory
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis tennis team won its second match of the season with a 9-0 victory over Ponderosa without dropping a set at Rio del Oro Racquet Club Tuesday afternoon.
“The team did great today,” said Head Coach Kristi Spector. “Coming off a tough match last week that we lost, it was important for the girls to come back out and focus on playing their game.”
St. Francis Cross Country Fourth at Stanford Invite
PALO ALTO, Calif. – St. Francis senior Lauren LaRocco finished fourth overall to lead the St. Francis cross country team to a fourth-place finish at the Stanford Invitational Saturday on the Stanford Golf Course.
“It went pretty well,” said LaRocco. “It can be hard to feel your pace when there is such a big pack and especially in the beginning because everyone goes out fast. There was some really good competition so it was nice to run at Stanford. I think it helped us figure out where we are at and what we need to do by the end of the season.”
St. Francis Volleyball Wins Holy Court Rivalry Game
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis volleyball team won the annual Holy Court matchup with Christian Brothers with a straight set 3-0 victory Thursday night. The Troubadours won the Holy Court game for the fifth straight season by the score of 25-23, 25-17, 25-23.
“I think they had confidence and believed in themselves and each other,” said Head Coach Alynn Wright. “All through the week we talked about having each other’s back and I think tonight they did. We played as a team and won as a team. There was not any real superstar out there tonight.”
Golf Posts Three-Shot Win over Pleasant Grove
ROSEVILLE, Calif. – The St. Francis golf team held off Pleasant Grove by three strokes to win their Delta River League match Wednesday to remain undefeated. The Troubadours were led by the even-par 36 by senior Emily Laskin.
The Troubadours posted a 216 with their top five scores to edge Pleasant Grove, which posted a 219.
Tennis Opens Season with Victory over Sheldon
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis tennis program opened the 2013 season with a 9-0 victory over Sheldon, sweeping all nine matches in straight sets. The Troubadours dropped only 28 total games in the match.
Sophomore Avery Spector led the charge with a straight set win at No. 1 singles without dropping a game. Senior Jane Sadler defeated Marion Guevar 6-0, 6-1 at No. 3 and senior Kendall Spector topped Joyce Tan 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2.
Anna Kropf, Perneet Powar and Eden Elliott also won their singles matches.
Troubadours Prep for Holy Court at Christian Brothers
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis volleyball team is prepping this week for the annual Holy Court matchup at Christian Brothers by turning up the volume, literally. The St. Francis Gym has become a concert zone with the team practicing to loud music to simulate the crowd noise expected Thursday at CB.
“It is so much fun,” said senior Ali Koumelis about the atmosphere at the Holy Court game. “It is so nerve-wracking and it is so loud you cannot hear yourself think.”
Water Polo Wins Big over Franklin
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis had 12 players score at least one goal as the Troubadours routed Franklin 23-1 Tuesday afternoon at the Jesuit pool.
“It boosts everyone’s confidence because the whole team gets to play,” said Marissa Zanobini. “It was a fun game to support each other.”
Samantha Reinl and Jennalyn Barthels each scored four times and Brinnley Barthels added three goals to lead the team. Emily Reinl, Caroline Urkov and Jenna Bellinger each found the goal two times in the match.
Golf Downs Folsom at Empire Ranch
FOLSOM, Calif. – St. Francis was led by two golfers under par to post a Delta River League win over Folsom Monday at Empire Ranch Golf Club. The Troubadours shot a 200 for their top five players to 288 for Folsom.
Seniors Victoria Vardanega and Emily Laskin were both under par for nine holes in the first group. Laskin led the team with a three-under par 33, while Vardanega carded a one-under par 35.
Tennis Preview: First Serve for Troubadours Tuesday against Sheldon
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis tennis program opens the 2013 season Tuesday with the first of 10 Delta River League matches over the next five weeks. St. Francis plays host to Sheldon at Rio del Oro Racquet Club at 3:45 p.m.
The Troubadours are directed by Interim Head Coach Kristi Spector, who takes over the program after watching her daughters play for the program last season.
Cross Country Wins Yolo County Championship Title
WOODLAND, Calif. – In the first meeting between Sac-Joaquin section rivals, the St. Francis cross country team edged Davis Senior Saturday at the Yolo County Championships 42-49.
“We are very happy with the overall performance,” said assistant coach Mason Myers.
The Troubadours, ranked No. 3 in the state in the DyeStatCAL XC rankings, placed three runners in the top six overall to defeat the Blue Devils. Davis entered the meet No. 6 in the state rankings. It was the third consecutive team title for St. Francis in 2013.
Water Polo Defeated at Rio Americano 8-6
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Rio Americano water polo team fought back from two goals twice in the game and posted an 8-6 victory Thursday night over St. Francis.
“I think we had a really solid first quarter,” said Head Coach Heather Moody. “In the second we were scrambling but held it together. They came out really aggressive in the second half and we could not match their intensity.”