Williston came out on fire Saturday afternoon in their volleyball regional semifinal against Trenton. 

After a hot start, the host Red Devils settled into a battle with the Tigers. And Williston found their game at the end of sets. 

No. 2 seed Williston (6-11) pulled away with runs at the end of the third and fourth sets and defeated third-seeded Trenton 25-8, 19-25, 25-18, 25-19 in a Rural-Region 4 semifinal match. 

Williston will play at top-seed Moore Haven in Tuesday’s regional final. The winner advances to the state semifinals in Winter Haven on Monday, Nov. 4.  

Against Trenton, Williston came out on fire. The Red Devils scored the first six points, got a double-digit lead at 14-4, and never looked back for a 25-8 win. 

“My assistants and I are always wondering who’s going to show up and how they are going to show up,” Williston coach Daniel Gutierrez said. “Today, everybody showed up and everybody did their part. We didn’t play a perfect first set, but we were very aggressive and every time we had a chance to put a ball away, we did.” 

Trenton (13-11) rallied back in the second set. The Tigers led 5-2 early and then bounced back and forth with Williston. Trenton went on an 8-2 run to pull away from a 17-17 score and tie the match at a set apiece. 

“Recently we’ve had a habit to want to start off real slow and then battle and show up,” Trenton coach Brandi Sumlin said. “The kids have the heart and the drive and we did the best we could today.” 

The two teams battled again in the third set, and this time the Red Devils went on an 8-1 run to pull away from a 17-17 tie and take a two sets to one lead. 

The teams were again tied 13-13 in the fourth set, but Williston scored the next five points and that was enough to put the Tigers away. 

“I told the girls the whole time that you can’t count them (Trenton) out of it,” Gutierrez said. “You’ve got to give them respect because they came here to play us in the regional semis. They are here for a reason.” 

Senior outside hitter and captain Chanitey James led Williston with 19 kills, followed by junior Madison Perkins with 12.

Despite the loss, an emotional Sumlin couldn’t be more proud of her team. 

“This team has been absolutely amazing,” Sumlin said. “They are truly like a family. This has been the best season Trenton volleyball has had in about six or seven years.” 

Saturday, Oct. 26 
Rural-Region 3 Semifinals 
1 Branford d. 4 Aucilla Christian (Monticello) 16-25, 25-14, 25-17, 25-19 
3 Union County (Lake Butler) d. 2 Lafayette (Mayo) 25-19, 25-20, 26-28, 26-24 
 
Rural-Region 4 Semifinals 
2 Williston d. 3 Trenton 25-8, 19-25, 25-18, 25-19 
1 Moore Haven d. 4 Chiefland 25-16, 17-25, 25-17, 25-16 
 
Class 2A-Region 1 Semifinals 
1 Trinity Catholic (Ocala) d. 5 Oak Hall 25-17, 25-10, 25-10 
 
Class 4A-Region 2 Semifinals 
2 Merritt Island d. 3 Santa Fe (Alachua) 25-10, 25-18, 25-16