St. Thomas Aquinas volleyball earns chance at three-peat after dominant victory
St. Thomas Aquinas’ volleyball teams rarely get rattled even in the toughest spots.
It’s why on Thursday when the Raiders found themselves behind early against Valrico Bloomingdale in a Class 6A state semifinal, it was only a matter of time before they returned to their typical dominant form.
Led by Izzy Sangha’s 19 kills, Aquinas turned the tide in that first set and cruised to a comfortable 25-22, 25-11, 25-18 victory at Polk State College in Winter Haven.
The Raiders, who are making their fourth consecutive state final four appearance, advanced to the state final for the third consecutive season.
Aquinas (27-4) will next take on Oviedo on Saturday at 10 a.m. as it chases its third consecutive state title and its ninth overall. If the Raiders win, they would put together a string of three consecutive state titles for the second time in program history.
Emmi Merhi paced the Raiders up front and on the back row with eight kills and 11 digs, which helped them break the match open during a dominant performance in the second set against the Bulls (20-2).
Isa Cabrera had 19 digs and Adriana Medrano had 17 digs to lead Aquinas defensively.
Sydney Guerrier totaled 21 assists and eight digs while Hailey Trebbien had 18 assists and eight digs to conduct the Raiders’ attack.
