TAMPA, Fla. – The Valdosta State Blazer volleyball team extended their season and continued their pursuit of a national title on Thursday night in Tampa, Fla., with a thrilling 3-2 (25-21, 21-25, 25-23, 19-25, 15-12) first round South Regional win over the No. 5 seeded Saint Leo Lions.

The favorable outcome in the back-and-forth affair helped lift the Blazers to a 25-7 record on the year, while the Lions concluded their season 19-14 overall.

The match opened with a tightly contested first set that featured nine ties and nine lead changes. With the score tied up at 19-19, however, the Blazers used three kills by Jenna Kirkwood and a string of Lion miscues to close out the set with a 6-2 run and a 25-21 win.

Saint Leo swayed momentum in the ensuing set after taking an early 7-5 lead and holding the advantage throughout the duration. The Lions overcame a .375 hitting percentage by Lea Jaklen in the set with a big offensive performance by both Alexa Griffith-Hardy and Jillian Stolzenburg, who combined for nine kills and swung for .600 and .625, respectively.

Valdosta State regained composure in the third and snapped a 14-14 tie midway through the game with a 6-1 run that stretched open a five point lead. Saint Leo threatened late in the frame with a run of their own, but the Blazers posted five points to the Lions eight and thwarted SLU's comeback effort to take a 2-1 lead after three.

VSU stumbled in the fourth set, thanks in large part to a strong push by the Saint Leo offense. The Lions used a .378 hitting effort to bust open a 15-4 lead at the outset, one that the Blazers were unable to overcome.

Valdosta State roared back in the deciding set, however, and snapped a 10-10 tie with a 5-2 run that was capped off by a Jessica Codato kill to seal the match and give the Blazers the victory in their first-ever regional match.

Codato, the 2014, GSC Player of the Year and recent All-Region honoree, offered up one of her best outings of the season at the net with a season-high 13 kills from the setter position.

"It's not that I'm thinking that I want to get a bunch of kills," said Codato after the win. "But if I see that their block isn't coming up with me, I try and use that. Plus, our service receive was amazing today, which allowed me to have a lot of kills."

Jaklen finished the day with a team-high 15 kills, while Destiny Berry and Kelsey Hedman each posted four blocks. Senior Ashley Lala anchored the defense with 18 digs.

The victory pushed Valdosta State to the round of 32, where they will face the winner of Tampa and Claflin tomorrow evening at 7:30 p.m. in Tampa, Fla.. Look for live links for tomorrow night's matchup, right here at www.vstateblazers.com.