October 22, 2018 – Hurricane Michael caused a one-week delay, and witnessing the aftermath of a natural disaster on their trip to Pensacola took an emotional toll on the team, but the Santa Fe College Saints volleyball team were able to focus on their mission at hand as they defeated Florida State College of Jacksonville 3-0 Friday night to claim the Panhandle Conference Championship.
“The ultimate team win,” said head coach Nick Cheronis after the Saints win. “Hopefully this is just the beginning of what we can accomplish.”
SF (18-2, 5-1 PC) came out swinging, winning the first set 25-16 and sets two and three 25-17 and 25-19 respectively.
“I have felt all along that when our offense caught up with our defense that we were going to be a force,” said Cheronis.
Leah Wilcox led the Saints with 15 kills and a .438 hitting percentage while Aspen Dangren registered 14 kills and hit .387. As a team, the Saints had 8 blocks and 49 digs.
The NJCAA No. 18 Saints final home match of the year will be Thursday, Oct. 25, when they host Pasco-Hernando at 6 p.m.
The championship win Friday qualifies the Saints for a first-round match against Indian River State College Friday, Nov. 2, at 1 p.m. at the FCSAA State Tournament held in Bradenton, at the Bradenton Area Civic Center.
For all Saints Athletics information, visit santafesaints.com.