The FCSAA #4/NJCAA #16 Santa Fe Saints continued their storybook first season, capping their Mid-Florida Conference schedule with a win over the College of Central Florida and as a result, a MFC co-championship. The victory moves SF to 27-4 overall and 8-2 in conference play. It also helped the team clinch the MFC #1 seed at the FCSAA State Tournament
“Winning a conference championship is special, but to do it on the road against the best team in our league is truly great,” said SF Coach Nick Cheronis. “Hats off to College of Central Florida for battling back. They could have rolled over after the second set, but showed great character.”
The Saints dominated the first two sets, winning 25-18 and 25-14 to take a 2-0 lead. FCSAA #2/NJCAA #6 Central Florida was equally as dominant in the third set, getting past SF 25-11 to cut the lead to 2-1.
The fourth set was a back and forth affair with each team taking turns with the lead. SF trailed 22-21 late in the set, but bounced back to score four of the last five points for a 25-23 win, the final point coming on a Ruth Harrington kill.
Harrington led the Saints with 12 kills, including seven in the pivotal fourth set. Savannah Young finished with 11 kills, and Jane Early and Julie Fuchs had seven each. Farah Rajaee led all players with 36 assists.
The big difference in the game came on the defensive end where Santa Fe recorded 76 digs, including 19 from Ann-Lorrayne Bzoch, 18 from Savannah Young, 17 from Ruth Harrington, and 10 from Rajaee.
Next up for the Saints is a non-conference match-up with Polk State College on Saturday, Oct. 25 in Gainesville at 2 p.m..
For a full schedule, please visit www.santafesaints.com.