Gainesville, FL

 The Saints entered this match coming off back-to-back wins against Lurleen B. Wallace Community College and Pasco-Hernando State College last Friday. The Florida State College at Jacksonville Manta Rays are coming off a weekend tournament in Rockford, IL where they went 1-3. The Saints knocked off the Manta Rays in four sets, making this the first time since August 2022 for Santa Fe to win three matches in a row. Mariana Haas (16 kills) and Kailyn Howard (8 kills) had 24 combined kills and led the way offensively, while the team totaled 11 blocks at the net. 

In set one, it was all Saints, as they went on a 5-0 run early in the set, forcing a Manta Ray timeout. The quick start helped the Saints hold momentum to finish the first set with a 25-13 win.

In set two the script flipped; it was all FSCJ. The Manta Rays jumped to a 2-7 lead to start the set and kept the lead down the stretch winning 25-17.

Set three was a different story, the Saints jumped to a 13-10 lead midway through the set. They then extended the lead to 19-12 after Haas went on a terror at the net. The Manta Ray fought back late in the set to force a timeout from Bailey Coleman but couldn't secure the set win. The Saints won set three 25-21

The fourth set was back and forth until the Saints started to pull away at 19-14 thanks to a couple of blocks and a Kailyn Howard service ace. The Saints held on to win the fourth set 25-17 and the match 3-1.

Coach Bailey Coleman stated, "That was a great fight from FSCJ. They gave us a run for our money. Proud of the girls' perseverance and will to win. We must take care of the ball better on the easier plays. Lots to work on but we pulled it out."

The Saints will travel to Fort Pierce, FL on Saturday to face Palm Beach State College at 12:00PM and Indian River State College at 4:00PM EDT.