VALDOSTA, Ga. - With the backing of the second largest crowd in Valdosta State volleyball history, the Blazers put together a convincing 3-0 (25-22, 27-25, 25-18) win over Alabama-Huntsville in the Gulf South Conference Tournament quarterfinal match on Tuesday night in The Complex.
The win allowed the No. 3 seed Blazers to improve to a 22-7 record overall and a perfect 14-0 record on their home floor, which advanced Head Coach
Mike Swan's squad to the semifinal round of the tournament. Following the loss, the No. 6 seed Chargers saw their season come to an end with a 16-13 record overall.
"An undefeated record at home was one of our established goals at the beginning of the season," said Swan about the team's unblemished record in Valdosta this season. "To be honest, I wasn't sure if it was realistic. I thought we could come close, but then we just seemed to get better as the season progressed and got some big wins along the way. I think the girls were really proud of accomplishing that goal, and it's really helped build our fanbase, as you could see with tonight's turnout."
The crowd of 339 saw the Blazers get off to a slow start, as they fell behind 0-6 in the first set. Following an early VSU timeout, however, the red and black recomposed and strung together a 12-6 run that helped knot the match up at 12-12. From that point on, the red and black never looked back and the Blazer faithful rooted their team on to the dominating win.
Senior
Jenna Kirkwood made her final performance in The Complex a memorable one with 16 kills in 39 attempts for a hitting percentage of .359. Freshman
Lea Jaklen added 11 kills on offense, while
Destiny Berry posted seven kills and seven blocks (two solo).
Statistically, the Blazers led the Chargers across the board. VSU swung for .246 against a .221 effort by UAH, and Valdosta State's dig effort edged out the Chargers 51-50, thanks in large part to
Ashley Lala's team-high 18 pickups.
"When I think about all the amazing teams we beat here this season, it makes me feel great," said Kirkwood, who was one of four Blazers to earn All-GSC honors this week. "There were some long rallies in here tonight, and the crowd was so into it. Those last few points I was really trying to just look around and take it all in."
Focus now turns to the rival Argonauts of West Florida, who represent the No. 2 seed in the GSC Tournament and will square off against the Blazers at 2:30 p.m. EST on Saturday. The match takes place in Rome, Ga., home of the Shorter Hawks, who hold hosting rights for the remainder of the tournament as the No. 1 seed. The winner of Saturday's contest between the Blazers and the Argonauts will advance to the Championship game, which will be played on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EST.
Kirkwood shared her thoughts on the upcoming contest. "Saturday is going to be a battle. West Florida has always been a big rivalry game for us, but if we can stay loose, relax, and just enjoy the moment, I think we're going to play great."
Live video and stat coverage will be provided for the weekend action and can be accessed at www.vstateblazers.com. Also, don't forget to follow us on Facebook (Valdosta State Athletics) and Twitter (@BlazerAthletics) for live updates and results as the GSC Tournament progresses.
