FORT LAUDERDALE — The St. Thomas Aquinas girls volleyball team is heading back to the state final four as the host Raiders cruised past West Boca Raton 25-10, 25-13, 25-13 in a Class 6A regional final on Wednesday night.
St. Thomas Aquinas (26-4) advances to the Class 6A state semifinal at Polk State College in Winter Haven on Nov. 6. The Raiders, which have won 15 straight matches and swept opponents in seven consecutive matches, will be searching for their third consecutive state championship. The Raiders girls volleyball program has captured eight state titles in school history.
Senior middle blocker Isabella Sangha recorded a team-high 14 kills, senior Sydney Guerrier had 10 kills and senior outside hitter Emmi Merhi added seven kills and eight digs. Senior setter Hailey Trebbien registered 21 assists in the victory. Senior libero Adriana Medrano and sophomore outside hitter Isabella Cabrera also stepped up for the Raiders.
Sangha, a Notre Dame commit, has made an impact in her first season with the Raiders. “It’s definitely awesome to help lead my team and to have this opportunity with the girls,” Sangha said. “It was our last home game, so we wanted to finish strong. I am very happy to be here, especially having an amazing coach like Coach Z (Lisa Zielinski). She has really exceeded my expectations and how she leads the program. It’s been a great experience and a blessing.”
Merhi previously played at West Boca during her first two seasons in high school. She was excited for another opportunity to play against her former school.
“It was exciting and a big opportunity for me,” Merhi said. “I wanted to beat them. It’s win or go home now, so I need to get it done and I think our team did that. We need to continue to show up. We’re excited for states.”
The Raiders delivered a dominant performance and jumped out to a 7-0 advantage in the first set. The Raiders took a 15-4 lead and had their biggest lead at 24-6 before winning by 15.
The Raiders scored the first three points in the second set. The Raiders led 13-10 before Sangha’s kill sparked a 6-0 run to extend the lead to nine. They led 22-13 and closed the set on a 3-0 spurt.
The Bulls took their first lead of the match at 4-3 in the third set. The Raiders led 9-8 before scoring three straight. After the Bulls recorded a point, the Raiders pulled away with a 6-0 run to force the Bulls to call timeout. The Raiders led 22-13 and scored the final three points.
“I thought we blocked very well tonight,” Zielinski said. “I thought Sydney and Izzy blocked very well. Emmi played very well. I just thought everyone contributed. We have multiple players that can contribute and that just makes it more challenging for the other team to stop and defend. I think that is one of our strengths. We now have an opportunity to go to states and prepare for that match. It’s one match at a time and one game at a time. I feel really comfortable with our offense right now. I think our defense is pretty good too.”
St. Thomas Aquinas defeated West Boca in the playoffs for the third straight season. The Raiders cruised past the Bulls in three sets in the regional semifinal last season and held on for a five-set victory in the regional semifinal in 2023. The Raiders are 13-0 against the Bulls dating back to 2007.
West Boca (11-13) had won six consecutive matches prior to the regional final.
“St. Thomas is a great team, super physical and aggressive,” West Boca coach Quan Oliver said. “We have seen a lot of adversity this season and I commend them for how we have responded and kept moving forward. I am really grateful that we have made it this far. I wish we could have done a little bit more. I am proud of the girls for their fight this season.”
The Bulls were led by senior outside hitter Hailey Ferwerda, who led the team in kills. Junior Hendrix Goodwin, junior Chloe Khoury, sophomore Sofia Maldonado, sophomore Karina DaSilva and senior Caitlin Dreyer were among the team leaders as well.
“Hailey is a senior and has been working hard since I arrived to this program last year,” Oliver said. “She is going to do some big things at the next level I believe. I wish her and all the seniors the best of luck. They gave it all they got.”
The Raiders will play in the state semifinal in Winter Haven on Thursday against an opponent and at a time still to be determined as of Wednesday night.