Santa Fe Volleyball Bounces Back To Dominate Buchholz

After a rough start to the volleyball match Tuesday against the Buchholz Bobcats, the Santa Fe Raiders found their footing and came from behind to dominate the rest of the way to defeat Buchholz 3-0.

First-Set Jitters

Despite the Raiders’ impressive record, a scrappy and lively Bobcats team (8-10) increased the pressure to establish an early lead. After the Bobcats extended their lead by several points, a frazzled Raiders team (17-4) seemed to have trouble finding its groove.

Several mistakes from the

Raiders allowed an onset of points accumulated by the Bobcats. Everything seemed to be heading in the their direction as they were close to holding the lead and taking the first set.

However, as the set came racing to a close, the Raiders ignited a last-minute spark and dug their heels in to make the comeback and win the first set 25-21.

“Errors. We made so many errors in Set 1,” Santa Fe coach Eric Marshall said. “We preach errors all the time. That’s how you win and lose volleyball – errors.

“You know you’re pretty even in the net, you’re pretty even serving, you’re pretty even setting. The team that makes the most errors is usually gonna be the team that loses.”

Raiders Finish Job

After the exciting first set, the Raiders continued their fight and quickly subdued the Bobcats in the second set 25-7. That didn’t deter the Bobcats though, as they continued to play with heart until the end.

The Raiders continued to play their game, but it was clear Buchholz wasn’t going to back down so easily. As the Raiders had firepower coming from every angle of the court aimed at the Bobcats, the team did an astonishing job at keeping the ball in play and getting a rally going.

“Don’t let Gia McGrew whale on us. That was pretty much the mindset,” Coach Andre Medina said of Buchholz’s strategy against facing Santa Fe’s artillery.

After a lot of back-and-forth, the Bobcats were starting to close the gap. But, the Raiders were able to seal the deal and take the match, ending the final set 25-22.

Up Next

The Raiders, winners of six straight matches and 12 in 13 contests, were scheduled to host The Rock (12-2) on Thursday, but the hurricane threat canceled the match. Buchholz will host Ocala St. John Lutheran at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.