by Will James
Hometown Sports
In high school sports there are rivalries built on long standing tradition, and there are arch rivalries; fierce clashes between competing schools who have identified themselves as each other’s chief opponent, battling at an extreme level of competition far above what’s dedicated to other opponents.
 
Throughout Sacramento County and the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section, the finest example of commitment to an arch rivalry is the now-famous ‘Holy Court’ series; the ongoing private school volleyball match-up between the Christian Brothers Falcons and the St. Francis Troubadours.
  
That’s the special attraction on tap Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. on Access Sacramento‘s Hometown Sports Game of the Week, when the Falcons fly to St. Francis to engage the Troubadours for the 11th meeting of these two powerhouses.
 
The match may be seen on Access Sacramento Cable channel 17, Consolidated Communications channel 17, and AT&T U-Verse channel 14.  The match will also be streamed live on accesssacramento.org, and on the NFHS Network.
 
Falcons’ 3rd Year Head Coach, James Todd, must prepare his team for a demanding week that includes three matches in four days against Capital Christian, Folsom, and Rio Americano, before their excursion to St. Francis.
 
Todd will rely heavily on OHs Hailey Naldoza (63 SR, 54 K) and Sophia Overstreet (82 SR, 75 K),  Libero Catherine Cordano (122 SR, 70 D), and standout Freshman, Lauren McGinnes (156 A) to lead the way for the Falcons.
 
St. Francis enters the week with a 10-2 record.  Its only losses coming against Rocklin and Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) in the Platinum Division of the High Sierra Invitational.
 
Under the supreme leadership of celebrated Head Coach, Alynn Wright (434-126 career W-L record), the Troubadours are once again among the teams that occupy the upper strata of the SJS.
 
Leading the way for St. Francis are Setters Jesiree Moral (39 SP, 74 A, 45 D) and Ellie Eichhorn (48 SP, 74 A), OH Alexa Edwards (64 K, 45 D, 62 R), and DS Sam Chavez (63 D, 75 R).
 
Rarely will you find a rivalry game that matches the high intensity, limitless energy, maximum effort, non-stop enthusiasm, heavy drama, and wide-ranging emotion that punctuates every installment of this rivalry.
 
The magnitude and attraction of the ‘Holy Court’ arch rivalry is guaranteed to draw a crowd that overflows capacity limits, and generates an atmosphere that will escalate into a frenzy, and a deafening decibel factor.