ALACHUA — The Santa Fe Raiders dominated Orange Park Fleming Island 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-12) on Tuesday to improve to 17-3 while sweeping their second straight match in as many nights.
In front of a raucous home crowd, Santa Fe controlled the match with aggressive serving, strong net play and a balanced attack that gave Fleming Island (11-3) few opportunities to build momentum.
“We were clicking everywhere,” Santa Fe coach Eric Marshall said. “When you win one or two facets of the game, you got a pretty good chance of winning. When you win every one of them, and we never win blocking ever, we won blocking tonight.”
The Raiders wasted little time establishing control in the opening set.
Santa Fe jumped ahead 20-8, using its advantage at the net to keep Fleming Island from finding a rhythm. Sophomore middle blocker Ajha Graddy led the attack with five kills and an ace in the set.
Fleming Island put together a late run, but Santa Fe quickly closed the door, taking the first set 25-15.
The Golden Eagles provided their biggest challenge in the second set, jumping out to a 9-2 lead and later holding a 13-6 advantage.
But Santa Fe responded by showing why it has won 17 matches this season.
Rather than allowing the early deficit to change the team’s approach, the Raiders chipped away at the lead and eventually took control. Santa Fe put together a seven-point run, and back-to-back kills from Graddy and freshman right-side hitter Lalyn Sikes gave them a 20-18 lead.
Santa Fe never looked back, closing the second set 25-20.
Freshman setter and outside hitter Holdyn Moore led Santa Fe with four kills in the set, while Graddy added two blocks and Sikes delivered an important ace.
Marshall said the team’s youth hasn’t prevented it from staying composed when things do not go according to plan.
“To be so young, because I start, I think, two freshmen and three sophomores, maybe even four sophomores, because I also play a DS (defensive specialist) as a sophomore, they don’t panic,” Marshall said.
The Raiders entered the third set with the same intensity they showed in the first.
Santa Fe quickly built a 6-2 lead behind three kills from sophomore setter and outside hitter Taylor Sembower. The advantage continued to grow until the Raiders reached a 20-8 lead.
They finished the job with a 25-12 victory, completing the sweep and sending the home crowd into celebration.
Sembower and Graddy led Santa Fe with 11 kills apiece. Moore and Sikes each added nine kills, giving the Raiders four players with at least nine kills.
Graddy also led Santa Fe with three blocks, while senior libero Karlee Noah anchored the defense with 21 digs. Sembower finished with a team-high 19 assists.
The performance was especially impressive considering Santa Fe was playing its second match in two nights after sweeping Ocala Vanguard on Monday.
For Marshall, the team’s ability to consistently pressure Fleming Island at the net and from the service line was a major factor in the victory.
“If we can win the blocking, then we’re going to be even better than what we are,” Marshall said. “So I thought the blocking tonight for us was gigantic compared to where we are, and with blocking that kind of sparks a team.”
That aggressive style carried over to the service line, allowing Santa Fe to keep Fleming Island off balance and create more opportunities.
“We were able to run way more plays, and we were super aggressive from the service line,” Marshall said. “Really aggressive.”
The sweep gives Santa Fe another convincing victory as it moves toward the final stretch of the regular season.
The Raiders are not hiding their postseason ambitions. Marshall said the team’s ultimate goal is to compete for a state championship, but the focus remains on continuing to play its best volleyball each match.
“We’re just going to play volleyball,” Marshall said.
Santa Fe hits the road for a 6:30 p.m. match Thursday at Ocala Forest (11-10).
