Santa Fe College Volleyball Beats Rival In 5 Sets

First to five. First to 10. Only to 15.

That was the story of Santa Fe College’s volleyball match Wednesday against Mid-Florida Conference rival Daytona State College. Earlier this season, the Saints lost to the Falcons 3-2 in Daytona.

Wednesday’s score was flipped when the Saints won 3-2 ( 25-18, 15-25, 25-22, 23-25, 15-12) at home against the Falcons. The match was a scrap from the beginning with each team alternating sets.

Santa Fe (14-10, 4-7 conference) won the first set following a 10-point service run by freshman Kailyn Howard that included two aces. SFC coach Bailey Coleman praised Howard and the team’s other outside hitter Marianna Haas as the glue that holds the Saints together.

Interview with Santa Fe College volleyball coach Bailey Coleman following the team’s 3-2 win against Daytona State College. pic.twitter.com/bsPFrKNi2N

— Brooke Bastedo (@BrookeBastedo) October 24, 2024

Each time the teams switched sides of the court so did the win column. The Falcons ( 9-10, 5-5) won the second and fourth sets to force a deciding fifth set to 15, which Santa Fe won 15-12 to complete its fourth consecutive win.

Freshman Linnea Preston also contributed heavily to the win despite a hand injury. Her left hand was wrapped from the start of the match, making it immobile, but the injury did not prevent Preston from contributing to a strong blocking unit with Maria Contreras.

Despite a few struggles throughout the season, Coleman said she sees the improvement her team has made. She noted the low-error performance, which she said doesn’t happen often.

“I think now they’re ready to win,” Coleman said. “I think now they have the confidence, because we beat some teams that we haven’t beat in the first round of conference.”

Up Next

Santa Fe College will play its final regular-season match starting at 2 p.m. Saturday against visiting Eastern Florida State College.