St. Francis' Lacey Satele makes a kill attempt over Kalaheo's Riley Lynch. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Two time defending Division II state champions Saint Francis began their quest for a third with a 25-19, 17-25, 25-16, 25-18 win over Kalaheo in the opening round of the New City Nissan/HHSAA Division II Girls Volleyball State Championships at Kaimuki High School.

"We play a little jittery. But once we stayed disciplined and got our rhythm going we were much more confident, and (played) the way I know they can." said Saint Francis head coach Sonja Samsonas.

Up next for the Saints is third-seeded Seabury Hall in a 7:00p second round game at Kaimuki High School. The last time the teams met was in the Division II title game a year ago, where the Saints won in five sets, 19-25, 19-25, 25-14, 25-19, 15-9.