VOLLEYBALL: Tigers knock off #1 seeded Saint Francis, advance to NorCal final

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(ANDREW SMITH/EYE OF THE TIGER)

BRAD MORIN

Last night, the varsity boys volleyball team defeated the Saint Francis Troubadours, the NorCal tournament’s #1 seed and the fifth-best team in the nation, 3-1 and advanced to the final game against Bellarmine College Prep at Dublin High School this Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

The first set was a close one, but the Tigers managed to come out of it with a 26-24 victory to put themselves up 1-0. The Troubadours bounced back in the second set and beat the Tigers 25-16 to tie the match 1-1. This was the Tigers’ first set-loss since league began back in early March, but they recovered from it in the third set with a 25-17 win to take a 2-1 lead.

The boys were down by large margin in the fourth set until they went on a 10-point run to go ahead. This run proved crucial as it allowed the Tigers to win the fourth and final set 25-18, clinching the 3-1 victory.

Coach Marco Salcedo knew ahead of time that he was not going to able to attend the game due to a personal commitment but had a rough game plan for the boys.

“They’ve got a Division I outside hitter that’s a big, big name so we’re gonna have to go after him to put him out of the system a little bit,” Salcedo said. “Hopefully we can handle the rest of their team.”

Handle the team they did. The boys now look to make history this Saturday by winning the regional championship.