Santa Fe Volleyball Sweeps Vanguard
ALACHUA — Santa Fe High School swept Ocala Vanguard 3-0 (25-10, 25-8, 25-17) on Monday night to improve to 16-3.
The Raiders overcame a rocky start to the first set and pulled away behind their serving. Sophomore Ajha Graddy had two kills and three aces in the set, as Santa Fe held Vanguard to 10 points.
“We’ve been working really, really hard on serving the seams as best we can, trying to make those players move,” Santa Fe coach Eric Marshall said.
Santa Fe carried that pressure into the second set to jump ahead 13-3 before winning 25-8. Graddy recorded five kills in the set, three of them in the Raiders’ first nine points. She credited the sets she received for giving her chances to attack and said taking her time helped at the service line.
Vanguard (10-8) mounted its best challenge to cut the lead to 16-13. Marshall said the Raiders needed to stop giving away points through errors.
“We gotta make teams earn points,” Marshall said. “Because later in the season, you give those points away, you’re going to lose.”
Graddy said her teammates reassured one another during the run, helping the group focus on the task at hand instead of overthinking each play. Santa Fe kept a three-point lead at 20-17, then scored the final five points to complete the sweep and its third consecutive win.
Graddy totaled 12 kills and three aces. Sophomore Jordan Matthews added five kills and a block, while senior Ella Schneider had four kills and two aces. Taylor Sembower contributed to the stat sheet with three kills and three aces.
Marshall praised Graddy’s ability to adjust when a set does not reach its intended spot.
“She can use her left hand, she can use her right hand,” he said. “She understands where to put the ball even when she can’t hit it.”
Graddy said recovering from mistakes is part of the mindset she brings to each match.
“If you make a mistake, it’s OK,” she said. “You have to get over it.”
Santa Fe is scheduled to host Orange Park Fleming Island (11-2) at 6:30 p.m. today.
Category: High School Sports, Santa Fe High School, Volleyball
