GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Santa Fe Volleyball began the 2022 season on Wednesday evening, regrouping after dropping the opening set to take control over the course of the final three sets.

The Saints outlasted the Lakehawks 3-1, 17-25, 25-23, 28-26, 25-23 in front of a great home crowd on opening night, the first Santa Fe College match for Head Coach Bailey Coleman.

A TURNING POINT

The third set proved to be critical, and it was a tight one. The Saints staved off two set points, the last coming off a thunderous kill from Keionna Mackey.

With the score tied at 26-26 in the third, consecutive attack errors from the Lakehawks concluded the set, setting the stage for the Saints to finish the deal in the fourth.

THE FINISHING TOUCHES

That is just what SF was able to accomplish. SF raced out to an 8-2 lead, but Lake-Sumter nudged their way back into contention and established a 20-16 advantage.

Mackey did damage with her serve, however, and had back-to-back aces to tie it at 20-20.

The run extended to six unanswered for SF, seizing a 22-20 lead on a well-placed kill from Nicole DePaula.

SF led 24-23 when Katelyn Crofts and Paige Dinges found the floor with an emphatic block, putting the exclamation point on the match.  

NOTES

Final statistics are still to come, but the Saints showed plenty of promise for the faithful crowd. Crofts proved why she is the program's all-time leader in blocks, while Mackey, DePaula, and Elizabeth Klein among others helped her control play at the net.

Melanie Oglesby did much of the setting for the Saints, while Cydnee Eubanks, Katie Netzel, and Faith Marquis provided defense from the back row.

COLEMAN ON WIN NO. 1

"We played a hard-fought match on both sides of the net. I am proud of the way we fought and the drive we displayed. We have a lot to work on but it was a great start and confidence builder."

UP NEXT

Santa Fe (1-0) will begin their play at the Santa Fe College Classic, presented by Campus USA Credit Union and Redpoint Gainesville.

The Saints will host a competitive field of Pensacola State, Spartanburg Methodist, and Monroe College on Friday, Aug. 26 and Saturday, Aug. 27 for the tournament that will include six matches in total. The full schedule is included below. The Saints' next challenge is Spartanburg Methodist on Friday at 7:00 p.m.