PALO ALTO — There is no unfinished business left for St. Francis volleyball in the Central Coast Section.
The Lancers narrowly fell short in the CCS Open Division final last season. But not Saturday night at Palo Alto High School.
Second-seeded St. Francis defeated fourth-seeded St. Ignatius 26-24, 25-13, 22-25, 25-22 in one of the most epic four-set volleyball matches that you’ve ever seen.
The Lancers’ reward after such a hard-fought match? The well-deserved spoils of their coveted CCS title.
“It was definitely a roller coaster, but it was definitely worth it in the end,” said senior Grace Gowdy, who had a near double-double with 17 kills and a team-leading nine digs. “We had ups, we had downs. But eventually we came together. We played as a team, we trusted each other and we worked hard.
The match was marked by wild swings of momentum during the first three sets. In the first, St. Francis (28-5) took a 9-5 lead, then quickly found itself trailing 16-12.
SI (22-13) led 24-21 at the end of the first set, but wasted three straight set points. The Lancers finished the first set on a 5-0 run to take a 1-0 lead.
“It went pretty much the way we hoped,” St. Francis coach Lake Merchen said. “We knew they were going to play as hard as they could, and we knew what we were getting into in this game.”
The second set featured a 9-5 advantage in favor of SI, but things quickly swung in favor of St. Francis. The Lancers dominated the remainder of the game, finishing it on a 20-4 run.
“The urgency has lessened a little,” SI coach Saga Vae said. “But you choose, ‘Do you want 20 more minutes of this match when you’re enjoying this crowd and you’re on this stage?’ Show some heart and put on a show.
The Wildcats answered Vae’s message, taking a 7-2 lead in the third set and holding off another St. Francis surge to get on the board.
But the Lancers weren’t going to let SI do it again. In a five-point fourth set, St. Francis won by three points.
“Honestly, it means the world,” Gowdy said. “Going to the CCS Championship last year and not being able to finish was obviously tough. To be able to come back this year, to be on top, to walk off the field with my head held high was such an incredible feeling.
Most outside observers expected a rematch between St. Francis and Archbishop Mitty, the group’s top seed and favorite to repeat as CCS champions. Mitty had gone 4-1 against SI and the Lancers before the CCS tournament, with the lone loss coming early in the season at Mountain View.
But St. Ignatius pulled off a feat Wednesday night, coming back from two sets down to win a reverse sweep 14-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-23, 16-14.
SI hadn’t beaten Mitty, who held a 14-12 lead in the fifth set, since 2018. The Wildcats had lost 13 straight matches to the Monarchs and were 2-35 head-to-head since 2006.
“The program is definitely changing,” said Vae, who is in his third season at the helm of SI. “The mindset of this program is changing, so bigger things are coming.” So WCAL, pay attention.
The future may one day be covered in SI red and blue. But this year’s CCS trophy is dressed in Lancer maroon and gold.
– Christian Babcock
CSC Division III
No. 1 Cathedral of the Sacred Heart 3, No. 3 Soquel 0
SHC won the section’s Division III title, defeating Soquel 25-15 in three sets.
Titus Live to Tanga And Sofie Daters each had nine kills to propel the Fightin’ Irish to their 11th CCS crown. Tangaan also led the SHC with 18 digs while Madi Mullins had 12.
Senior passer Doris Cheung had 16 assists and freshman Cairo One led SHC had seven blocks.
The San Francisco school will be looking for its second state title in school history. SHC lost in last season’s Division II state title game to SoCal power Campbell Hall.
–Nathan Canilao
SNC Division I
No. 3 Tamalpais 3, No. 4 Campolindo 1
Campolindo fought hard, but it wasn’t enough to beat Tamalpais on the road in front of a packed gym.
Despite a strong effort in the third and fourth sets, Campolindo lost to Tamalpais 17-25, 20-25, 25-23, 23-25.
The Cougars fell behind early, losing the first set in dominant fashion.
But their attack found its rhythm in the third set.
Campolindo took a 20-13 lead into third, but a strong comeback from Tamalpais cut the Cougars’ lead to just 24-23 before the Cougars pulled away.
Campolindo started the fourth set in similar fashion, quickly taking a 10-4 lead. But the Red Tailed Hawks flipped the script and went on a 10-4 run to take a one-point lead.
The teams battled it out throughout the remainder of the set, but Tamalpais held on to earn a two-point victory and the NCS Division I crown.
Pierre Aveya unofficially, had 28 kills, a block and a service ace to lead Campolindo.
–Nathan Canilao
SNC Division II
Head-Royce 3, University-San Francisco 0
Oakland’s Head-Royce won back-to-back sectional titles, this time sweeping University 25-17, 25-22, 25-21.
The Jayhawks have dominated all year with a current record of 30-4 and add their third sectional title in school history.
Head-Royce defeated Justin-Siena in last year’s Division IV final.
–Nathan Canilao
CNS Division III
Saint-Joseph Notre-Dame 3, Bethel 0
The Alameda school won its first-ever sectional championship, sweeping Vallejo’s Bethel High.
St. Joseph’s will look to see where it places in the NorCal playoffs with a record of 29-6, 10-2.
–Nathan Canilao
