By Dave Brousseau
FORT LAUDERDALE – The front court combination of St. Thomas Aquinas seniors Isabella Sangha, Sydney Guerrier and Emma Merhi have proved too much for many of the Raiders volleyball opponents this season.
Wednesday against West Boca in a Class 6A regional final was more of the same.
Sangha, a Notre Dame commit for volleyball and basketball, had a strong night with a team-leading 14 kills and three blocks in the Raiders 25-10, 25-13, 25-13 victory.
“This is an opportunity for them again and for the me the first time,” said Sangha. “I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else. Getting the lead early set the tone of the match. We came out strong and showed what we got.”
Aquinas (26-4), the two-time defending 6A state champ and winner of 15 straight matches, advances to a state semifinal against Valrico Bloomingdale on Thursday, Nov. 6 at Polk State College at 1 p.m.
“We’re happy to go back to the state tournament with an opportunity to win three in a row.” said Aquinas coach Lisa Zielinski. “Every year it a different group, different team. To me it’s never the same.”
Guerrier added 10 kills, 13 assists and two blocks, while Merhi had seven kills and eight digs. Hailey Trebbien added 21 assists.
“We need to continue this rollercoaster ride and continue to get better,” said Merhi, who played her for two seasons of high school volleyball at West Boca before coming to St. Thomas. “Like today we need to push through and dominate.”
The Raiders improved to 13-0 against West Boca since 2007, while outscoring the Bulls 35-3 in sets played.
The Raiders are seeking to win their second three-peat and ninth overall state championship.
Aquinas made it clear they were the better team from the beginning of the match. In the first two sets the Raiders were dominant with commanding stretches, while never relinquishing the lead.
The Bulls (11-13), led 6-5 in the third set before Aquinas regained the lead for good with a 9-1 run in the third set for an 18-9 advantage.
West Boca never recovered.
Dave Brousseau is a veteran journalist who worked at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and is a longtime BCAA Correspondent. Need to reach out to him? Contact him at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.