FLEMING ISLAND - With a handful of net serves that trickled over the net for points, Santa Fe High's Raiders volleyball team took a 3-1 win against Fleming Island to halt the Golden Eagles' five-game season-opening winning streak.
"Those are normal mistakes, but they got on a roll and got points from them," said Fleming Island coach Amy Yoder, now 5-1. "We'll see them later in the season at their place. They simply outplayed us tonight."
Santa Fe, 8-2 now and a perennial Class 4A playoff contender and back-to-back state champion three years ago, controlled the defensive floor against the mighty swings of Lauren Brosky and Lillie Eason.
Around the county, Middleburg came back home after a tough 3-3 weekend at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Gainesville, to take a 3-0 win against county rival Clay High. Middleburg readies for an onslaught of Class 5A contenders next week, featuring Leon, Chiles, and Ponte Vedra.
At St. Johns Country Day School, first-year coach Amy Walker, a past playoff-contending coach for Orange Park and Fleming Island, used her savvy to get a tough 3-1 win for her Lady Spartans over University Christian, now 4-2. St. Johns improved to 3-1 with a loss to Trinity Christian Academy last week.
In other games, Keystone Heights beat Baker County, 3-0, with Ridgeview beating Bartram Trail in a late start game on Tuesday.