SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis volleyball defeated Franklin 22-25, 25-18, 25-19, 25-15 in a key Delta League matchup Thursday night. The Troubadours improved to 3-2 in league play while handing Franklin their first loss of the season in Delta play (4-1). Pleasant Grove (5-0) and Elk Grove (4-1) both were winners on Thursday.

“It was very crucial not only for us as a team but help our mindset,” said senior Nina Sanfilippo. “It was important for us to demonstrate for us and to Franklin that we are not a team that is going to roll over. We are going to fight back to prove to them and the rest of the league that this is our year. We are going to be strong and be a competitor.”

Franklin won the opening set 25-22 but the Troubadours rallied after a quick team meeting.

“I am not that we were mentally ready to play,” said Head Coach Alynn Wright. “We had a lot of careless mistakes.”

“It was a great game after we got going after that first set,” said Sanfilippo. “It was rewarding to come out and play together as a team. As we have been playing in league, our team has been coming together more. It is going to grow stronger in the rest of league.”

Tied at 4 early in the second set, junior Kelsey Grover served 10 straight points to put St. Francis in control of the game.

 “I like the comeback that we had behind Kelsey’s serving,” said Wright. “I think we had 10 points. She shifted the momentum a little bit. We let the first set slip through our fingers. I think we should have won in three but not to take anything away from them. They are a good team. They have some very solid players. It was not one of best performances but good teams figure out a way to win. “

Sanfilippo and junior Claire Schutz combined for double-digit kills in the match. It was a welcome stat for Wright to see.

“They needed to,” said Wright. “It was good to see all their hard work paying off. They are really working hard to develop the different shots. I think Nina did a good job seeing the block, hitting around the block and hitting high. That was exciting.”

Sanfilippo credited the great passing for the strong hitting night.

“We had some good passes and Kelsey did a beautiful job setting me,” said Sanfilippo. “It really set me up to make the shots I wanted to.”

St. Francis plays at Monterey Trail and hosts Grant next week to complete the first half of the league schedule.

“(The goal is) to finish out the first round of league and then carry on to the second half with momentum, energy and confidence,” said Sanfilippo.