VALDOSTA, Ga. – Gulf South Conference volleyball action continues on Friday night in Titletown, USA, as the Blazers welcome the West Georgia Wolves to town for a 6:00 p.m. showdown.
The Blazers (5-0, 2-0 GSC) enter the contest with 15 consecutive wins at home, a feat not accomplished by a GSC team since the West Florida Argonauts reeled off 31 straight from 2008-12. In order to keep the streak alive, VSU will have to solve the Wolves (3-2, 0-1 GSC), who hold a winning record so far this season but are still seeking their first conference victory.
Valdosta State will look to carry over their momentum from their last victory, a 3-1 rout of the Mississippi College. In that contest,
Lea Jaklen was the standout performer with 21 kills and a .472 hitting percentage. The Blazer defense also delivered in Tuesday's victory, as they have all season long, holding MC to a .008 hitting effort thanks in large part to a double-digit blocking effort (10) along with 53 kills.
As a team this season, the Wolves are hitting just .124 on the attack, but the team's defense has allowed their opposition to hit just .154 to help balance things out. Meanwhile, the Blazer offense ranks fifth in the GSC with a .209 team percentage on the year. Stellar defense has been a key reason why Head Coach
Mike Swan's team remains undefeated on the season, and the Blazers have allowed opponents to hit just .059 to top the conference.
Susanna Peonia has been a bright spot for Valdosta State this year on both offense and defense. The newcomer ranks second in the GSC in hitting percentage with a .394, and her blocking effort leads the league with an average of 1.19 blocks per set. Also ranking among the top ten in league statistics are
Jessica Codato in sixth place with 8.52 assists per set,
Natalia Campos in eighth place with 3.90 digs per set,
Ashley Miller in tenth place with a .303 hitting percentage, and
Julie Masonheimer in fourth with a 1.00 blocks per set average.
Friday night's matchup marks the first of two weekend contest, as the Blazers continue conference play on Saturday afternoon with a 4:00 p.m. showdown against West Alabama. For live coverage of the entire weekend and full results following each match, stay tuned to www.vstateblazers.com.
