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Edmond Santa Fe and Edmond North’s Tuesday night volleyball showdown came down to five sets in a match that carried major postseason implications.
Despite being without top attacker Anna Rice, the Wolves picked up a crucial home win to rise in the Class 6A volleyball rankings and increase their chances of hosting a regional. Santa Fe won three sets to two over the Huskies (16-25, 25-18, 25-15, 18-25, 15-12) to make two match victories this season over their cross-town rivals.
Set No. 1 was all Edmond North to start. The Huskies jumped out to an early 12-4 advantage thanks to attacks by Kate Starr and a pair of aces from Bailey Evans. Santa Fe was out of sorts defensively throughout the first set, eventually dropping the opener 25-16 to give Edmond North a 1-0 lead.
The second set saw another strong start, but this time from Edmond Santa Fe. The Wolves took a 20-9 lead and looked like they had fully taken the momentum of the match. Although Edmond North would mount a small run to bring the margin back down to five points, Santa Fe prevailed to win the set, 25-18, and tie the match at 1-1.
Stepping up in place of the injured Anna Rice were sophomore Sam Kinjanyui and freshman Nayeli Dragoo-Crawford, who combined for 29 kills when all was said and done. Caryl Womack also contributed six kills with a handful of blocks on the defensive end.
Set No. 3 was the most lopsided of the night, with Edmond Santa Fe winning 25-15 after more big plays from the Wolves’ attackers and some great defense. Vanessa Fisher picked up her first points of the night to help Santa Fe take a 2-1 lead.
Once again, the pendulum swung the other way as Edmond North rebounded in set four, winning 25-18 thanks to a vastly improved defensive effort. The Huskies led 20-7 at one point before eventually winning to tie the game again at two sets apiece. North freshman Kate Starr and senior Keely Lake led the tying effort to force a final fifth set.
Not only was set No. 5 the most neck-and-neck of the night, it was also chock full of controversy as Edmond Santa Fe got a big call in their favor to go up 8-7. It was a question of whether or not a Wolves’ spike was tipped by North before it sailed out of bounds. Officials convened and gave the point to Santa Fe after lengthy discussions.
The call was huge for both sides as only 15 points are needed to win final sets in high school volleyball.
Both teams continued back and forth, desperate to pull out a win in the last set. Santa Fe pulled ahead by stringing together a series of great defensive stops and some big kills by Dragoo-Crawford and freshman Blair Smith. Reagan Mason’s fakeout set-turned-kill then gave the Wolves match point at 14-10 before Edmond North got two back.
Finally, leading 14-12, Blair Smith won the match for Edmond Santa Fe with a powerful spike that was blocked by the Huskies’ defense and out of bounds. The home team took set No. 5 by a score of 15-12 to win the match 3-2.
Sam Kinjanyui led the match with 15 kills followed by her teammate Nayeli Dragoo-Crawford with 14. Junior setter Reagan Mason ended with 24 assists and a game-high three aces in the winning effort.
For Edmond North, Kate Starr continued an impressive freshman season by recording 14 kills to lead the team. Keely Lake had 10 kills and Sydney Dunkleberger finished with 14 assists.
Edmond Santa Fe (18-13) now moves into the No. 8 spot in the 6A rankings, meaning they’re in position to be one of eight schools to host a regional tournament should they hold on with two matches to go in the regular season. The Wolves go on the road to play Yukon on Thursday, Oct. 3.
With just one game left to go on their schedule, Edmond North (17-15) falls down to No. 10 in th... Click here to read full article
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