The service line can be both a blessing and a curse for high school volleyball teams.
Despite double-digit (11) service errors on Wednesday, the No. 1 seed Saint Francis Catholic Academy volleyball team finished with 22 aces and swept No. 4 Peniel Baptist Academy (Palatka) at home, 25-13, 25-15, 25-14, in an FHSAA Class 2A-District 4 Semifinal.
That sets up a district championship game against No. 2 seed Countryside Christian at 6 p.m. on Friday night at Saint Francis Catholic Academy. The Minutemen advanced with a sweep of First Baptist (Palm Coast) in the other semifinal.
“It was nice to ease ourselves into districts, but I feel like we worked hard capitalizing from the service line,” said 2nd-year Saint Francis coach Breona Fung. “It has always been something we’ve talked about, putting pressure from the service line. Second set, midway through, we were like, ‘Hey, we served six errors. That’s the six points on the board right there, right?’ So, it’s like, clean up serving on our end and you see what that difference makes.”
The Wolves (12-11) capitalized on the service line early as sophomore setter Olivia Williams had three aces to help give SFCA a quick 5-0 lead in game one.
Williams, who added 26 assists, finished with a team-best six aces. Junior Naomi Magary was next for the Wolves with five aces.
An 8-0 run ended on a kill by junior Katelyn Elder (7 kills, 5 blocks) for a 16-3 lead in the opening set. Elder finished with a 63.64 kill percentage.
“She’s just an all-around player, defends the net like no other, and again is always ready to hit, swing, put a ball down,” Fung said. “She’s a very versatile player for us. She’ll go back there and put pressure from the service line too. So yeah, she had an awesome game, and we’re excited to see what she does the rest of this season.”
SFCA sophomore Rilyn Prodesky led the way with 11 kills, including three in a row during the run.
“Definitely our star on the team,” Fung said. “She always shows up, and she’s consistent. She motivates the team, and alongside that, she just proves that she’s ready to go out there and play good ball.”
Sophomore Emilie Lamoureaux (5 kills) ended the first set with a kill in a 25-13 victory.
Early on it was close in the second set, but PBA’s last lead was 5-4 on an ace by senior Teaghan Speaks.
Lamoureaux sparked a 6-0 run with a kill and a 10-5 lead that would end by double-digits, 25-15, on an ace by Prodesky.
In the third set, Magary had four aces, including three in a row, as the Wolves turned a 16-11 lead into a 23-11 advantage.
“Both of our middles I feel like work really hard to do more than just hit out the front row and defend the net,” Fung said. “They work hard to play defense. They work hard to be able to go back there and serve aces and then stay in and play defense, so credit to them for coming into the gym every day and working hard and wanting to be better than just at their position.”
Freshman Amber Pass finished off the night with an ace as SFCA won, 25-14, to sweep the Warriors (4-11).
In the other district semifinal, No. 2 seed Countryside Christian swept No. 3 seed First Baptist Christian Academy (Palm Coast) 25-22, 25-17, 25-9. The Minutemen (14-9) have lost both meetings to the Wolves this season (3-2 at Saint Francis on 8/18 & 3-1 at home on 8/27).
“I think it’ll be a good matchup,” Fung said. “It’ll be exciting again. Rival school right next door, but it’s just about having discipline on our side and knowing that, like, hey, just because we beat this team before doesn’t mean that it’s going to be an easy win.”
Fung said Countryside Christian is going to “come out and fight and want it.”
“And that’s the thing we talk about too is like, hey, everybody’s here competing for this district title, so it’s not just us who wants it,” she said. “It’s them, who wants it too. And so, it’s just putting our best foot forward, knowing we have to want it more than this team, and we have to execute.”
2026 FHSAA volleyball district tournaments
Times are subject to change
Area teams in bold
Wednesday, Oct. 14
Rural-District 7 – at Higher seed
Monday, Oct. 12 (Quarterfinals)
4 Cedar Key d. 5 Hawthorne 25-17, 25-9, 25-21
3 Taylor (Pierson) d. 6 Wildwood 25-2, 25-20, 25-17
Wednesday, Oct. 14 (Semifinals)
1 Williston d. 4 Cedar Key 25-5, 25-13, 25-15
2 Crescent City d. 3 Taylor (Pierson) 25-20, 22-25, 25-21, 25-18
Friday, Oct. 16 (Championship)
2 Crescent City at 1 Williston, 7 p.m.
Class 1A-District 4 – Semifinals & Championship at Saint Francis Catholic Academy
Tuesday, Oct. 13 (Quarterfinals)
4 Peniel Baptist Academy (Palatka) d. 5 Florida School for the Deaf & Blind (St. Augustine) 25-18, 25-22, 25-18
Wednesday, Oct. 14 (Semifinals)
2 Countryside Christian d. 3 First Baptist (Palm Coast) 25-22, 25-17, 25-9
1 Saint Francis Catholic Academy d. 4 Peniel Baptist Academy (Palatka) 25-13, 25-15, 25-14
Friday, Oct. 16 (Championship)
2 Countryside Christian at 1 Saint Francis Catholic Academy, 6 p.m.
Class 2A-District 3 – at Higher Seed
Tuesday, Oct. 13 (Quarterfinals)
4 St. Joseph Academy (St. Augustine) d. 5 Mount Dora Christian Academy 27-7, 20-25, 30-28, 25-16
3 P.K. Yonge d. 6 Interlachen, 3-1
2 Oak Hall School d.7 Father Lopez (Daytona Beach) 25-10, 25-16, 25-14
Wednesday, Oct. 14 (Semifinals)
1 Trinity Catholic (Ocala) d. 4 St. Joseph Academy (St. Augustine) 25-14, 25-11, 25-12
2 Oak Hall School d. 3 P.K. Yonge 25-23, 27-25, 25-19
Thursday, Oct. 15 (Championship)
2 Oak Hall School at 1 Trinity Catholic (Ocala), 6 p.m.