November 17, 2016

Gainesville, FL – Facing the magnitude of playing in their first NJCAA Tournament game, the #8 seeded Saints rose to the occasion and played like a team that had been there before, defeating #9 Arizona Western College 3-1 to advance on to the final eight.  They will now play #1 Panola College (TX) at 9:30 PM EST tonight.  The match can be seen live at www.njcaatv.com

Nadine Williams was the catalyst for SF all match long, leading both teams in kills with 17.  She chipped in 10 digs to finish with a double double.

The Saints took the first set, coming from behind to win 26-24.  AWC was up to the task in set two, jumping out to a big lead and holding on for the 25-20 win.  SF rebounded in the third set and pulled away down the stretch for the 25-18 win and a 2-1 lead.

The fourth set was back and forth and tied 19-19 late.  SF called a timeout to regroup and outscored the Matadors 6-2 the rest of the way for the win, capping the victory with a block from Nadine Williams.

Santa Fe used a total team effort to win the match, getting contributions from 12 players.  Caylee Cox led the team with 25 assists and Amanda Torres had 12.  Defensively Ashton Marshall finished with a team high 15 digs and Sheyanne Sullivan had eight.  The Saints had 14 blocks as a team, including seven from Tina Mayberry and five for Nadine Williams.

Next up is a date with the #1 team Panola College.  The two head coaches know each other very well as Nick Cheronis coached Amber McCray at the University of Florida from 2003-2007.

A full bracket as well as all other tournament information can be found here: http://njcaa.org/sports/wvball/2016-17/div1/national_championship/index

For complete schedules, stats, and more information please visit www.santafesaints.com. 

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