by Grace Curley (’27) | November 17, 2023
The Saint Francis Varsity Girls’ Volleyball team played a tremendous fall 2023 season, ranking first in the West Catholic Athletic League with an exemplary record of 11-1 in league play.
Throughout the season, the Lancers have shown resilience and determination in the face of challenges. Although their season started off with a 1-3 loss against Archbishop Mitty, the team remained undeterred and quickly bounced back. They hammered Presentation, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Valley Christian, and Archbishop Riordan, shutting out each team three sets to none. Later on in the season, they faced Mitty again and with the support of fans cheering in the stands, the team fought hard to the end and succeeded in a stunning victory with a score of 3-1. Despite the early defeat in their first game, the Lancers bounced back to win ten games in a row.
In every game, the Lancers were competitive, passionate, and immensely energetic, forming a coordinated team and complementing each other’s strengths. “To prepare for games, the team spends lots of time together and everyone hypes each other up. We will eat together and have dance parties in the locker room so that everyone gets excited for the game,” said Ella Fulton (’26). Sacha Touma (’24) explained that a typical practice consists of “stretching first, then breakouts, which is skill work specific to different positions, and practice always ends competitively with scrimmage.”
Aside from the league schedule, the team attended several away tournaments, including the Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the Nike Tournament of Champions (TOC) in Phoenix, Arizona. The team put together an impressive performance at the Nike TOC, winning all seven of their games and becoming the Platinum Champions. Touma shared that her proudest moment with the team was winning the tournament and enjoying the opportunity to compete with some of the top teams in the nation.
Following the regular season, the team made it to the Central Coast Section (CCS) Championship against Mitty but faced a devastating loss of 3-1. They responded with an increased work ethic and a desire to perform even better. When asked how the CCS Championship result will affect the team moving forward, Touma explained, “Since we lost in the CCS Championships, we are motivated to work ten times harder. Our practices have been so competitive lately because we want to win ten times more.” This intense drive came to fruition in the following week, with the team triumphing over both Saint Ignatius in the California Interscholastic Federation NorCal Quarterfinals and Foothill High School in the CIF NorCal Semifinals. The Lancers left no room for doubt in either match, coming out on top with two outstanding 3-0 wins. Unfortunately, the season came to an end with Tuesday’s 3-1 heartbreaking loss to the Mitty Monarchs in the CIF NorCal Championships.
This season concluded the high school careers of ten seniors. However, their contributions to the team will be far from gone as their lasting leadership and knowledge will certainly help the younger teammates play a successful 2024 season for Saint Francis Girls’ Volleyball. “For next season, our goals are to carry on the positive energy, togetherness, and competitiveness that we had this season,” said Fulton.