VALDOSTA, Ga. – Blazer Nation gave Valdosta State their biggest crowd in VSU volleyball history on Tuesday night at The Complex, and the Blazers rewarded the crowd with an incredible 3-2 (25-22, 15-25, 16-25, 27-25, 17-15) Gulf South Conference win over No. 20 West Florida.
 
The victory marked the 20^th consecutive home court victory for the Blazers, a streak which dates back to November 16^th, 2013. Meanwhile, the loss for the Argonauts represented their first GSC loss of the season.
 
"A win like this is obviously huge for us," said Head Coach Mike Swan following the match. "It keeps us in the race for hosting the conference tournament, and it's the first ranked team we've managed to beat. It was a great environment tonight, just like it was when we played at their place, and for us to come back after playing flat in sets two and three was a real statement about our team."
 
The first three sets appeared to be a mirror image of the matchup between the two teams earlier this season, as the Blazers took the opening set with a 25-22 win, before the Argonauts responded with comfortable 25-15 and 25-16 wins in sets two and three.
 
Valdosta State changed the script, however, in the final two sets. Facing a 2-1 deficit in the match, the Blazers allowed UWF to take the first three points of the fourth set before scoring six straight points, four of which came by way of Argonaut errors. The Blazers held on to their lead until UWF scored three straight points midway through the set to knot things up at 16-16. Five ties followed in the closing moments of the critical set, before the Blazers used an attack error by Argonaut Corisha Smith and a monstrous kill by Blazer senior Lea Jaklen to tie the match up with a 27-25 victory.
 
A rowdy crowd of 443 rallied behind the Blazers in the closing frame, helping VSU take control of the match with five of the first six points. Cora Bidlack delivered two kills to account for three straight points and pull UWF to within one point at 5-4, but Blazer setter Jessica Codato, who collected her 12^th double-double of the season with 16 digs and 43 assists, helped keep the Argonauts at bay with a timely kill. VSU held on to the lead and even spread their advantage to 9-5 in the fifth and final set, but West Florida clawed back into the match to tie it up at 12-12. From that moment forward, the match became a race for the finish, which the Blazers were able to win thanks to a kill from Susanna Peonia and an attack error from Argonaut Autumn Duyn.
 
"I was really pleased with the way we played," added Swan. "The crowd tonight gave us momentum in the fourth set. They were very animated and loud, and our girls feed off of that. They love that kind of environment, and it's great to see that the community has embraced us the way they have."
 
Several key digs helped keep the match in check for the Blazers, 27 of which came from libero Natalia Campos. The momentum gained from the strong defensive effort allowed the Blazers to fashion a comeback with an offensive push led by Peonia's 14 kills and .444 hitting percentage.
 
With the victory, the Blazers improved their overall record to 15-5, 10-2 in conference play, while the Argonauts fell to 19-5, 11-1 in GSC play.
 
Next up for VSU is a trip to Livingston, Ala. for another GSC showdown against the Tigers of West Alabama. The road match is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start, and can be followed live at www.vstateblazers.com.