JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – No. 15 Santa Fe volleyball began postseason play at the NJCAA Region 8/ FCSAA State Volleyball Tournament, and swept No. 18 Daytona State College for the third time this season to remain in the winner's bracket of the double-elimination tournament.

It was a matchup of the No. 4 seeded Saints and the No. 5 seeded Falcons, both of the Mid-Florida Conference. In the end, Santa Fe was able to come out on top to win their eighth consecutive match, 32-30, 25-18, and 25-20. All eight wins have been by way of sweep. 

Here is how the match played out at the tournament host, Florida State College at Jacksonville…

Set 1 – SF 32, DSC 30

The opening set was a nailbiter, and when all was said and done, the set had featured nine lead changes and 17 ties.

The Saints raced out to a 6-1 lead, putting down four kills from four different players in the early going.

Daytona State went on a 6-1 run of their own to tie it at 7-7, and the remainder of the set was neck-and-neck the rest of the way.

The Falcons took their first lead, 13-12, amidst a 5-0 spurt that put eventually them ahead 15-12. A Tori Watts ace tied it at 16-16, but SF didn't regain the lead until later in the set when Emily Register found the floor to give the Saints the 22-21 advantage.

Santa Fe earned the first set point leading 24-23, but Daytona State came out of a timeout to tie it. With each team needing to win by two, the Saints were able to fight off three set points against them. Daytona State countered by fighting off two set points of their own, and the score worked its way to 29-29.

After a Falcons' point, Madison Sheffield's kill kept the Saints alive for a fourth time, tying it up at 30-30. The final two points finally went the Saints' way to conclude a thrilling first set, as Samantha Caglianone had a kill and Register recorded a solo block.

Set 2 – SF 25, DSC 20

The second set was a tale of two major turns in momentum.

Leading 10-9, Daytona State proceeded to go on an 8-1 run, forcing a Santa Fe timeout with the score sitting at 18-10 in favor of the Falcons.

The timeout must have done wonders, however, as the Saints responded with ten consecutive points to grab a 20-18 lead. Nine of those ten points came on the serve of Kariana Ayala, while Caglianone was instrumental with five kills. 

Daytona State was able to slow the Saints' momentum only temporarily, as the set concluded with a Maya Mullaly ace. Santa Fe ended the set on an impressive 15-2 run to seize the 2-0 lead in the match.

Set 3 - SF 25, DSC 18

Although the final set was tied on five separate occasions, the Saints never let Daytona State in front.

Santa Fe jumped ahead 7-3, before it was tied at 8-8 with a 5-1 spurt from the Falcons.

Still tied, 11-11, Santa Fe began to impose their will once again, on the strength of a 9-1 stretch of play that handed SF a 20-12 lead. The run was bookended by another kill from Sheffield.

SF earned their first match point at 24-15, and although Daytona State stayed alive with three straight points, Lilli Bentz put the final touches on the sweep with a well-placed kill to the right corner, advancing Santa Fe past the Falcons.

Key Statistics

-Santa Fe has now won all nine sets with the Falcons this season.

-The Saints staved off four set points in the first set to jump out in front. 

-The 15-2 run to conclude the second set turned the tide of the match and gave the Saints the 2-0 advantage. 

-Caglianone led SF with 11 kills. 

-Maria Hernandez dished out 38 assists and added 12 digs.

-Ayala's 19 digs were a match-high. 

-Katelyn Crofts finished with eight kills and hit for a .318 percentage. Register accounted for seven kills and hit .467. 

The Cheronis Perspective

Head Coach Nick Cheronis: "It was a pretty typical performance for us, with 67 digs and nine blocks. We are tough to score points on. Offensively, our middles only had one hitting error and really controlled the net blocking. I give Daytona State a lot of credit, I thought they played their hearts out."

Up Next

The No. 4 seed Santa Fe (16-2) will be across the net with No. 1 Miami Dade (19-0) on Friday at 1:00 p.m. The winner will remain in the top half of the bracket and play on Saturday at 4:00 p.m., while the loser will move to the bottom half of the bracket in the double elimination tournament and play on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. See below for further information on the NJCAA Region 8/FCSAA State Volleyball Tournament. 

 Officlal Tournament Website | Spectator Information | Bracket | FCSAA Digital Network Broadcast | FSCJ South Campus Map