VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State volleyball team took care of business on Friday night at The Complex with a brisk 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-19) Gulf South Conference victory over the Flames of Lee University.
 
The win improved Valdosta State's streak of wins at The Complex to 21 and improved the team to 18-5 overall, 13-2 in GSC play. With the loss, Lee fell to 11-14 overall and 6-9 in league action.
 
Susanna Peonia put up another monumental offensive performance, hitting .500 on the night with 15 kills and just a single error on 28 attempts. The effort marked the fifth time this season that the junior has posted a .500 or better hitting percentage and represented her 11^th match with double-digits in the kill column.
 
"We still need to find a solution to why we're having slow starts, but we managed to come back pretty aggressively in each set," said Head Coach Mike Swan after the match. "Susi continues to shine for us, and we finally got our blocking going."
 
Lee fought hard on defense throughout the contest with 69 digs and forced several long rallies, but the Blazers remained focused and put away several key points with some well-placed attacks.
 
"I was worried about Lee because they've been very hot since the crossover tournament in Carrollton," added Swan. "They are relentless on defense and made some great saves tonight, but we persevered and used a couple of off-speed shots that found the middle of the court. Those ended up being huge tonight and were a big part of a quality win for us."
 
Jessica Codato chipped in for the red and black with a double-double that included 28 assists and a team-high 15 digs. Valdosta State's strong night on defense resulted in 73 total digs, a number boosted by double-digit dig numbers from Natalia Campos (14), Lea Jaklen (13), Sydney Chick (11), and senior Krista Bradford (11).
 
The Blazers put a four-game winning streak on the line tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. at The Complex against GSC opponent Shorter. Fans are encouraged to don their favorite Halloween costume for the match, and kids who dress up will be admitted for free. In addition, a ticket from tomorrow's noon football contest between the Valdosta State Blazers and the West Alabama Tigers will also give attendees free admission to the match.