- Santa Fe volleyball team, seeded No. 8, is among eight teams in FHSAA's new Open Division state championship starting Oct. 21.
- Top two teams from two pools will advance to semifinals at Polk State College on Nov. 6 and the championship on Nov. 7.
- Ten area volleyball teams, including Santa Fe, qualified for the FHSAA postseason with regional quarterfinals starting Oct. 20-21.
It’s official.
On Sunday, the Santa Fe (Alachua) volleyball team learned their Open Division fate when they were selected among the top eight teams in the Sunshine State to participate in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s (FHSAA) new overall state championship.
The prestigious all-classification championship tournament features two pools (A & B) with each team guaranteed one home game among their three pool play games.
The Raiders (23-3) are in Pool A as the No. 8 seed, along with No. 1 seed Orangewood Christian (Maitland), No. 4 seed Winter Park, and No. 5 seed Gulliver Prep (Miami). Pool B consists of No. 2 seed Calvary Christian (Clearwater) (27-1), which is ranked 18th nationally and No. 1 in Class 3A, No. 3 Tampa Plant (15-4; ranked No. 1 in 6A), No. 6 St. Johns Beachside (24-3; ranked No. 3 in 6A), and No. 7 First Baptist Academy of Naples (25-2; ranked No. 2 in 2A).
The first round of Pool Play matches begins on Wednesday, Oct. 21, as Santa Fe travels to 6A Winter Park (21-6), followed by a home game on Saturday, Oct. 24, against Class 2A Orangewood Christian (25-2), which is ranked No. 4 in the MaxPreps national rankings, in Round 2.
The Class 3A No. 3 Raiders, who won the Class 3A-District 4 championship last Thursday, will travel to No. 5 seed and Class 3A No. 2 Gulliver Prep (22-5) for Round 3 of Pool Play on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
The top two teams in Pool A and the top two in Pool B will advance to the semifinals at Polk State College in Winter Haven on Friday, Nov. 6. The Open Division Championship is set for Saturday, Nov. 7.
Santa Fe is one of 10 area teams to make the postseason.
The FHSAA Regional Quarterfinals begin for Classes 1A-3A on Tuesday, followed by 4A-6A on Wednesday.
In Class 1A-Region 1, No. 8 seed Countryside Christian (14-10) will travel to No. 1 seed Christ’s Church Academy (Jacksonville) (19-7) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, while No. 5 seed Saint Francis Catholic Academy (13-11), which won the 1A-District 4 title following a win against Peniel Baptist Academy (Palatka) in the district semifinals, will host No. 4 seed St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park) (11-7) at 6 p.m.
Oak Hall School is the No. 4 seed in 2A-Region 1. However, the Eagles (22-3) lost to top seed Trinity Catholic (Ocala) in the 2A-District 3 championship game, so they will travel to No. 5 seed Destin, which defeated Maclay (Tallahassee) to win the 2A-District 1 title. The first serve is at 5 p.m. CT.
Newberry, which lost at Santa Fe in last week’s 3A-4 championship match, is the No. 6 seed in 3A-Region 1. The Panthers (22-4) will travel to No. 3 seed South Walton (Santa Rosa Beach) (19-7).
A difficult schedule paid off for Gainesville High and Buchholz, who will play their regional games at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The Hurricanes had the fifth-toughest strength of schedule (21.20) in Class 5A, while the Bobcats (22.40) were fifth in 6A.
GHS, which defeated Clay (Green Cove Springs) in the district semifinals but lost in five sets to Middleburg in last Thursday’s 5A-District 3 championship game, is the No. 7 seed in 5A-Region 1. The Hurricanes (14-13) will travel to No. 2 seed Chiles (Tallahassee) (19-7).
Despite a 3-2 loss to Forest (Ocala) in the 6A-District 3 semifinals, Buchholz earned the No. 5 seed in 6A-Region 1. The Bobcats (13-9) will travel to No. 4 Seminole (Sanford) (16-9).
The Rural Regional Semifinals will be on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Defending Rural state champion Branford (26-2) is the No. 1 seed in Rural-Region 3 and will face No. 4 seed Union County (Lake Butler) (13-14). The winner will play either No. 2 seed Lafayette (Mayo) or No. 3 seed Aucilla Christian (Monticello) in the Region Finals on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
Williston, which swept Crescent City in the Rural-District 7 championship game, is the No. 1 seed in Rural-Region 4 and will host No. 4 seed Marathon. The winner will play either No. 2 seed Crescent City or No. 3 seed Taylor (Pierson), with a spot in the final four on the line.
The state semifinals and championship games will be held Monday through Saturday, Nov. 2-7, at Polk State College – Winter Haven Health Center.
FHSAA Volleyball state playoffs
Times are subject to change
Area teams in bold
Tuesday, Oct. 20
Class 1A-Region 1 Quarterfinals
4 St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park) at 5 Saint Francis Catholic Academy, 6 p.m.
8 Countryside Christian at 1 Christ’s Church Academy (Jacksonville), 7 p.m.
Class 2A-Region 1 Quarterfinals
4 Oak Hall School at 5 Destin, 5 p.m. (CT)
Class 3A-Region 1 Quarterfinals
6 Newberry at 3 South Walton (Santa Rosa Beach), 6 p.m. (CT)
Wednesday, Oct. 21
Class 5A-Region 1 Quarterfinals
7 Gainesville at 2 Chiles (Tallahassee), 6 p.m.
Class 6A-Region 1 Quarterfinals
5 Buchholz at 4 Seminole (Sanford), 6 p.m.
Open Division Pool Play Round 1
8 Santa Fe (Alachua) at 4 Winter Park, TBA
Saturday, October 24
Rural-Region 3
4 Union County (Lake Butler) at 1 Branford, 2 p.m.
3 Aucilla Christian (Monticello) at 2 Lafayette (Mayo), 2 p.m.
Rural-Region 4
4 Marathon at 1 Williston, 2 p.m.
3 Pierson Taylor at 2 Crescent City, 2 p.m.
Open Division Pool Play Round 2
1 Orangewood Christian (Maitland) at 8 Santa Fe (Alachua), TBA
1A-6A Regional Semifinals (TBD)
Tuesday, October 27
Regional Finals, Classes 1A-3A & Rural (TBD)
Wednesday, October 28
Open Division Pool Play Round 3
8 Santa Fe (Alachua) at Gulliver Prep (Miami), TBA
Regional Finals, Classes 4A-6A (TBD)