ALACHUA — The top-seeded Santa Fe Raiders advanced to the 3A-District 4 volleyball tournament title match with a sweep of four seed Keystone Heights 3-0 (25-10, 25-12, 25-14) in Tuesday’s semifinals.
Santa Fe (22-3) remains at home for Thursday’s 6 p.m. final against two seed Newberry (22-3), a 3-1 winner against six seed Palatka (14-11) in Tuesday’s other semifinal.
The Raiders controlled the match from the opening serve, overpowering Keystone (17-10) while keeping rallies alive on defense. SFHS finished with 42 kills and 35 assists across three sets, showcasing its ability to spread the ball around and find openings in the Indians’ defense.
Sophomore setter and outside hitter Taylor Sembower led the Raiders with 11 kills, followed closely by sophomore middle blocker Ajha Graddy, who recorded 10. Freshman right-side hitter Lalyn Sikes added seven kills, while senior right-side hitter Ella Schneider contributed five and junior middle blocker Emilie Carlisle finished with four.
The Raiders’ offensive efficiency was particularly impressive. Graddy recorded a .600 hitting percentage, while Sembower hit .611, helping Santa Fe maintain pressure on Keystone.
Freshman setter/outside hitter Holdyn Moore played a key role in keeping the offense moving, finishing with 15 assists. Sembower added 13 assists, giving the Raiders multiple options to distribute the ball and keep the Indians guessing.
Despite holding a commanding lead, Santa Fe coach Eric Marshall continued to push his team from the sideline, emphasizing execution rather than allowing the Raiders to coast toward the finish.
The Raiders carried their momentum into the third set, building a 20-7 advantage. Keystone was able to garner a few kills, but Santa Fe closed the door with a 25-14 victory.
The final point came during a hectic volley that ended when Carlisle put the ball away, deflecting it off Keystone’s middle blocker to seal the sweep and send Santa Fe celebrating.
Although the sweep marked a successful start to the postseason, Marshall said the Raiders still have areas to improve.
“I mean, we won in three. That’s great, but we made way too many errors,” Marshall said. “So, we got to clean up the errors.”
Marshall identified missed serves as the biggest concern heading into Thursday’s matchup, explaining that mistakes from the service line can become costly in closer matches.
“You miss serves in real matches,” Marshall said. “Like if we’re in a tight match and we’re missing serves, we’re not going to win. Miss serves cost you games.”
The Raiders also showed their defensive strength, recording 59 digs. Sikes, Moore and senior libero Karlee Noah each finished with 10 digs, repeatedly helping Santa Fe extend rallies and transition back into its offense.
Marshall said the coaching staff would evaluate the team’s blocking, serving, serve receive, defense and hitting before its next playoff game.
One area that stood out was the connection between Santa Fe’s setters and hitters. Marshall said the location of the sets was better than it had been in recent matches, allowing the hitters to take more comfortable, full swings.
“I thought our setting location was as good as it’s been,” Marshall said.
As the postseason continues, Santa Fe will maintain its usual preparation routine while placing greater emphasis on rotations, receiving serves and understanding its offensive options in different situations.
Marshall emphasized that the competition will become more difficult as the team advances.
“Regionals, that’s where the rubber meets the road,” Marshall said. “All those teams are really good.”
For now, the Raiders can build on their convincing opening-round performance while focusing on the mistakes that could prove costly against tougher opponents.
