SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis volleyball team defeated Christian Brothers 3-1 Wednesday night in front of sold out crowd of 1,200 cheering students and fans from both schools in the annual Holy Court matchup.

“They played together as a team and they played for each other,” said Head Coach Alynn Wright. “Each kid really had key plays at big times. I was really excited for them. They have been working very, very hard. The seniors dream about this game. I am really proud and excited for them.”

St. Francis won the opening set in a tight battle that saw each team hold leads and featured numerous ties. The Troubadours finally prevailed 27-25 to fuel the home crowd.

 “I told the kids before we started to have fun and look around and enjoy the moment,” said Wright. “For some, they will never play in a match like this ever even in their collegiate career. The Zoo was amazing and the Christian Brothers fans were amazing. It made for a really fun atmosphere. There was great sportsmanship on both sides.”

St. Francis built on the momentum from the first set to cruise to a 25-13 win in the second set. But Christian Brothers, the no. 1 ranked team in the Sacramento Bee volleyball poll, fought back to take the third game 25-22.

The Troubadours (8-1) were playing for the second consecutive night after losing to Oak Ridge in four sets in the Foundation game Tuesday night.

St. Francis sealed the win in the fourth with a 25-19 victory.

“It feels so great and we are so pumped,” said senior Marissa Gollnick. “We talked about keeping our energy up. We started a little slow in the third game but in the fourth we really tried to celebrate every small point.”

Wright said her squad recorded a good team win led by several statistical standouts in the contest. Senior Kyle Green had a team-best 20 kills, while Mary-Kate Schildmeyer added nine and Lizzy Corfee notched eight. Three players had double-digit digs led by Maddy Miller with 22. Junior Marie Rhoads recorded 18 digs and Ashley Sutter added 14 in the contest.

“Marissa played a terrific game and it was some of the best setting she has done,” said Wright. “She got to a lot of balls. There were a lot of players that stood out. It was a good team win. We did not rely on one kid. Everyone stepped up.”

Senior Carey Fuchs had a team-best eight blocks in the game.

“It is so exciting to win in senior year,” said Miller. “We stay focused and disciplined on defense and knowing where the hitters were going to hit.”

St. Francis will play their third match in three nights Thursday as defending state champion Granite Bay visits for another matchup between two of the area’s top squads. Granite Bay went 3-0 against St. Francis, winning the Sac-Joaquin Section and Nor Cal Championships over the Troubadours.

“To be the best you have to play the best,” said Wright. “We have our work cut out for us.”

The freshmen team start the night at 4:00 p.m. followed by the JV (5:00 p.m.) and varsity contests.

St. Francis swept all three matches with Christian Brothers Tuesday as the freshmen and junior varsity teams both recorded wins in their season openers.