VALDOSTA, Ga. - Friday night's volleyball match between the Valdosta State Blazers and the North Alabama Lions has been pegged by the Gulf South Conference as this week's GSC Match of the Week, and with good reason.
The match is a big one for both teams. North Alabama will come to TitleTown, USA seeking a South Region win over the higher ranked Blazers in the
recently released NCAA South Regional rankings. In the first release of the season by the NCAA, Valdosta State came in at No. 6, while North Alabama fell in at No. 8. The sixth place position for Valdosta State is the highest ranking Valdosta State has received in over a decade, and a win on Friday will help the team firm up their chances to enter the NCAA Postseason as one of eight teams to participate in the 2014 NCAA Regional Tournament.
Don't expect VSU to look too far ahead, however. Head Coach
Mike Swan's club is still one victory short of a secured berth in 2014 GSC Tournament. Although the team needs to win only one of their five remaining regular season league matches to make it into the postseason, a victory on Friday night would go a long way towards the Blazers' pursuit of a favorable seeding.
Additionally, a victory for the Blazers would move the team one step closer to achieving their goal set at the beginning of the season of an undefeated record on their home floor. Currently, the team stands at 9-0 within the friendly confines of The Complex.
On the season, Valdosta State has suffered just four GSC losses, one of which came at the hands of North Alabama in Florence, Ala. over a month ago. The Blazers fell 3-1 to the Lions in that match on September 26, and will be seeking revenge over their conference rivals on Friday night.
In order to exact that revenge, the Blazers will look for a strong blocking effort from
Destiny Berry, who recorded her 100th block of the season on Saturday to remain at the top of the GSC leaderboard in both total blocks and blocks per set. Berry's numbers also have placed her among the nation's best blockers, as she ranks 19th in total blocks. In addition, her average of 1.18 blocks per set ranks at 22nd in all of Division II.
When mentioned in conjunction with Berry's efforts,
Ashley Lala's performance this year at the libero position makes it no surprise that the Blazer defense has been a hefty component of the team's success this season. Lala is enjoying her second straight week as the GSC Defensive Player of the Week after posting an average of 4.91 digs per set last week and upping her season dig total to 389. Just two weeks ago, the senior twice posted personal bests for digs in one match with 25 against Rollins on October 14, followed by another 25 dig performance against Eckerd just three days later. In the last two weeks, Lala has registered 146 digs for an average of 4.87 per set, and has added to VSU's attack with five service aces, 23 assists, and eight kills.
The home stint concludes with a rare Sunday afternoon match at 1:00 p.m. against the visiting Chargers of Alabama-Huntsville. The Blazers will shoot for a season sweep of UAH to close out the weekend, as VSU narrowly defeated the Chargers 3-2 back on September 27 in Huntsville, Ala..
The GSC Match of the Week tips off at 6:00 p.m. on Friday night, and live coverage will be available at www.vstateblazers.com. Also, don't forget to follow us on Twitter (@BlazerAthletics), Facebook (Valdosta State Athletics), and Instagram (valdostastateathletics) for up to the minute information regarding Blazer volleyball and all things Blazer Athletics.
