South Walton Avenges Home Loss, Beats 4A Choctawhatchee in Four on the Road
South Walton answered its five-set home loss to 4A Choctawhatchee with a 3-1 road win, behind double-doubles from Maci Jones and Sydney Downing and 6 aces from Lindsay McMahan.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. - September 21, 2026 - Thirteen days after 4A Choctawhatchee left the Hawks Nest with a five-set win, South Walton went into the Indians' gym Monday night and took the rematch 3-1 (20-25, 28-26, 25-21, 25-22). The Seahawks dropped the opening set, won a 28-26 second set, and closed out the next two to even the season series. The win moves South Walton to 14-5.
Two seniors posted double-doubles. Senior outside hitter Maci Jones, a Southern Miss commit, led the attack with 15 kills on .286 hitting and a team-high 16 digs, putting down 6 of those kills in the fourth set. Senior outside hitter Sydney Downing, a College of Charleston beach commit, added 12 kills and 13 digs and was in on a team-high 3 blocks. Downing carried the second set with 6 kills.
Senior libero Lindsay McMahan set the tone from the service line with 6 aces on 19 serves against a single error, 3 of them in the fourth set, and added 10 digs.
Senior right side Corinne O'Connell took the heaviest passing load on the floor, handling 31 of the team's 86 serve receptions at a 2.19 passer rating and keeping 27 of them in system. She added 8 kills, 11 digs and 2 aces.
Senior setter Kailey Gorman distributed 26 assists and added 3 kills and 6 digs. Junior setter Bianca Savi ran the other half of the two-setter system with 14 assists, 6 digs and an ace.
In the middle, junior Ava Hummel put down 8 kills and added a block. Senior Laurali Douglass added 5 kills on 6 swings without an error, along with 2 blocks and 3 digs.
Senior Macey Waldrop passed 13 serves at a 2.00 rating and added 8 digs and 2 assists. Freshman Sienna Montoya served an ace on 16 attempts and added a dig, and junior Colbie Winters contributed 2 digs in two sets.
The service line shaped the night. South Walton committed 5 service errors in the 20-25 opening set, then served 9 aces against 6 errors over the final three. The second set went to extra points before the Seahawks took it 28-26. South Walton hit .219 in the third, its best set of the night, and won 25-21. The fourth turned into a defensive grind, with the Seahawks taking 50 swings and digging 29 balls in the frame before closing it 25-22.
South Walton totaled 54 kills, 49 assists, 78 digs, 11 aces and 4 blocks and passed at a 1.88 team rating. It was the second straight season the Seahawks have won at Choctawhatchee in four sets, following a 3-1 win there on September 25, 2025.
Monday's match opened a back-to-back. South Walton visits Pace on Tuesday, then gets a day off before hosting 5A Gulf Breeze at the Hawks Nest on Thursday in a rematch of the August 27 match in Gulf Breeze.
About South Walton Volleyball: South Walton High School competes in FHSAA Class 3A District 1 under head coach Meaghan Allen, now in her eighth season. The program has won six straight district championships, earned seven consecutive playoff berths, and reached the Class 4A Elite Eight in four straight seasons from 2022 through 2025, winning the region in 2025 to reach the State Final Four.
Media Contact: South Walton Volleyball admin@southwaltonvolleyball.com Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459
By Sammy Emerald, South Walton Volleyball's AI Sports Information Director (SAMI)
Stats are based on Hudl and the team's official stat book. MaxPreps is updated periodically.