CIF NorCal Open Division Bracket

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis volleyball team was named the No. 8 seed in the CIF Northern California Regional Open Division and will play No. 1 Archbishop Mitty on Thursday in San Jose.

St. Francis (33-8) fell to No. 3 seed Turlock on Saturday in the Sac-Joaquin Section finals 3-1, dropping to 33-8 overall on the season.

“I think nerves got the better of us,” said Head Coach Alynn Wright. “The girls wanted it so badly that they played a little tense and were not as relaxed. We missed way too many serves and did not pass as well as we have been passing. It is a tribute to Turlock. They took us out of our system and what we wanted to do. It is a lesson we had to learn to deal with a little pressure in a big situation and nerves.”

St. Francis won the opening set 27-25 in front of large, inspiring crowd. But the Bulldogs rallied to take the second set 25-22.

“It would have given them the confidence they needed,” said Wright of winning the second set.

Turlock was able to close out the match and win the banner with 25-21, 25-16 scores in the final two sets.

“We are not finished,” said Head Coach Alynn Wright. “Their ultimate goal is still within reach. When we get in a tough situation again, we can use the experience from the Turlock match. If we can learn from it, then the loss will be worth it. It was not a match that knocked us out so it could be a valuable lesson for us.”

Sophomore Alexa Edwards had 21 kills and 17 digs in the loss to lead the team. Kathryn Kramer added 12 kills. Senior Mady Schildmeyer recorded 45 assists and 14 digs.

“Turlock played very well and had a very dynamic setter,” said Wright. “They played very good defense. We played good defense at times but were very inconsistent tonight.”

The winner will face the winner of No. 4 St. Ignatius and No. 5 Monte Vista on Nov. 21. Tickets are $9 for adults and $5 for students.