PALATKA, Fla. – Santa Fe Volleyball went on the road for the first time in the 2021 season and fell by a 3-0 score to St. Johns River, 25-13, 26-24, 25-21.

Set 1 – SJR 25, SF 13

The Vikings used a 12-1 run to pull away from the Saints in the opening set, turning an 8-7 lead into a 20-8 advantage.

Santa Fe strung together four unanswered points late but weren't able to make up the difference.

Set 2 – SJR 26, SF 24

The Saints got off to a strong start in Set 2 and established an 11-7 lead.

The Vikings countered and turned the momentum with an 11-4 spurt to seize an 18-15 lead, forcing a Santa Fe timeout.

Santa Fe continued to chip away and eventually regained a lead, 24-23, to earn their first set point. A Saints' attack was blocked, however, and the Vikings went on to close out the set with consecutive points.  

Set 3 – SJR 25, SF 21

With their backs against the wall, the Saints raced out to a 7-1 lead, capped off by an ace from Amelia MacCallum.

That lead would remain until later in the set, but eventually slipped away when the Vikings secured the win with the final six points of the match.

Key Statistics

The Saints had nine team blocks in the match.

Maya Mullally led the way defensively with 15 digs.

The Cheronis Perspective

Head Coach Nick Cheronis: "First time on the road with a young group, we certainly took our lumps. All credit to St Johns River, I thought they played great especially in the serving game."

"We played pretty well defensively, but we have to do a better job of competing on serve receive."

Up Next

Santa Fe (1-1) will return to their home floor on Saturday, August 28 for a 1:00 p.m. matchup with NJCAA No. 2 Miami Dade. The match will be the Suncoast Conference opener for the Saints.