WINTER HAVEN — Polk State Volleyball will go without a home win in 2026. The Eagles fell to Santa Fe College on Sophomore Day on Saturday, 3-0.
Prior to the match, Polk State celebrated its five sophomores:
Yanelee Deida,
Dublin Fitzgerald,
Camilla Freitag,
Ana Martinez, and
Chillis Oke. As for the match, Polk State (1-20, 1-9 Citrus Conference) fell by scores of 25-12, 25-15, and 25-16.
In the opening set, it was fittingly a pair of sophomores, Freitag and Oke, who combined for a block at the net for the first point of the day. That would be Polk State's only lead of the set. With the score tied 2-2, Santa Fe went for good with five straight points.
The early parts of the second set went back and forth. The last Polk State lead came at 7-6 on a
Victoria Benitez ace. The last tie was 9-9. The Saints seized control with a 15-4 run.
The third set proved to be the closest but the Eagles couldn't seem to gain momentum throughout the day. Paris Baez led Santa Fe with eight kills.
Mariana Castano led Polk State with seven kills. Martinez added 10 digs and three aces — both team-highs.
Jasmine Mahoney finished with 10 assists while Benitez had her best game of the season with eight assists and two aces.
With the regular season in the rear view, Polk State will be the No. 6 seed in the FCSAA Tournament. The Eagles will travel to take on No. 3 seed Eastern Florida State College on Saturday in Melbourne. Polk State won at that venue this past Wednesday.
