VALDOSTA, Ga. – Just three days stand between the Valdosta State Blazers and the upcoming 2015 campaign, which kicks off on the road for the Blazers this Friday at the Lynn Invitational in Boca Raton, Fla.
 
The opening tournament presents Head Coach Mike Swan's squad with the challenge of Barton on Friday, followed by two region opponents on Saturday in the form of Barry and Lynn.
 
"I think Barry will be very competitive out of the Sunshine State Conference," said Swan. "They have size which I'm a little concerned about, and I know they have a lot of new players on the roster much like we do. They play a high level game, and Lynn gave us a tough match last year. I think this will be a good starting weekend for us, and we'd love to go 3-0, but at this point we're just going to battle for each point and see what happens."
 
While Valdosta State was forced to bid adieu to five seniors at the end of the 2014 season, in which the program won its first ever Gulf South Conference Championship, the Blazers feel confident about what to expect moving forward. That confidence is a result, in large part, of several new additions to the squad that are expected to make waves right away for Swan and his defending champs.
 
Ashley Miller was recruited this summer as a middle blocker, but thanks to strong preseason efforts by returner Julie Masonheimer and newcomer Susanna Peonia in the middle, Swan has been looking at the big hitter from Marietta, Ga. as a potential outside option. In addition, Antia Rodriguez-Sanchez is expected to provide production as another new offensive weapon. Combine those two newcomers with returning senior Lea Jaklen, who landed a spot on the All-GSC Tournament Team in 2014, and Swan will have several options on how to orchestrate an attack throughout the season ahead.
 
Even with all of the potential firepower that the 2015 squad holds, Swan immediately referred to his defense when asked about the strengths displayed by the team throughout preseason workouts.
 
"We're pretty relentless on defense right now. We have 12 bodies that are pretty good at keeping the ball alive, and I like how scrappy we are."
 
Serving as the nucleus of the team again this season, is senior Jessica Codato. The leadership qualities of the senior have been evident throughout the preseason schedule, and the returning GSC Player of the Year is expected to occupy the setter role throughout the year. A lefty out of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Codato possesses a scoring mindset, and opens  up a healthy array of attack opportunities. As a setter, she averaged 1.20 kills per set, while racking up 59 service aces and 1183 assists. She dominated throughout her entire junior campaign with 17 double-doubles and one triple-double last season.
 
The Blazers were originally scheduled to open up their season on Friday morning at 9:00 a.m., but a schedule change in the weekend tournament at Lynn University resulted in a pushed back start time of 1:00 p.m against Barton. The three game weekend set concludes on Saturday with matches against Barry at 1:00 p.m. and Lynn at 5:00 p.m.
 
For full coverage of the weekend action, be sure to access our live stats links at www.vstateblazers.com.