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ALACHUA — Santa Fe’s volleyball team dominated the 4A District 5 championship match Thursday against Crystal River to win its seventh consecutive title.
Swift Defeat
The Raiders (19-7) came out swinging against the Pirates (12-14). Solid performances from every player on the team took the Raiders one step closer to the trophy.
The Pirates could not seem to handle the Raiders’ firepower as each set came in a swift defeat. With the Pirates unable to defend attacks from the Raiders. Several impactful service runs from Gracyn Marshall, Morgan Lawson, Brooke Findley and Peyton English contributed to such a definitive end.
Standout Gia McGrew and Delaney Wingenbach combined for 21 kills to command the Pirates defense and bring their team closer to clinching another district title.
The Raiders won the match 3-0 after securing each set 25-5, 25-11, 25-8.
Regional Ready
The regional tournament is nothing new for coach Eric Marshall and the Raiders, it’s just the next stop on a long list of goals they have for the season.
As district champions for the past seven years he and his team are no strangers for what they’re heading into.
“Well fortunately we’ve been through it a lot. We’ve been there every single year, we’ve at least made the regional final. So we understand how to get the team ready, and then it’s just whether or not they perform … it really boils down to the skills” Marshall said.
The three seed Raiders will host the regional quarterfinal against the six seed Satellite Scorpions (13-12) at 7 p.m. Wednesday. After their loss in regional finals last year, it will be interesting to see how the team bounces back with its sight set for the state championship.
A win Wednesday night will put Santa Fe in the semifinals Saturday.
