VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State Blazer volleyball team tallied another Gulf South Conference win on Saturday afternoon with a 3-0 (25-23, 26-24, 25-21) victory over the rival Flames of Lee in Cleveland, Tenn.
The Blazers battled the Flames point for point but VSU eventually closed the game and improved their record to 9-0 overall and 5-0 in the GSC. Meanwhile, the Flames fell to 5-5 overall and 1-4 in conference play.
With an early 11-5 lead, the Blazers took the first set 25-23 over the Flames. The Blazers were able to force the Flames to commit 10 errors as opposed to their 4, which ultimately led to the Blazers clinching set one, 25-23.
The Flames took control of the second set forcing the Blazers to a 16-11 deficit. As the teams exchanged points, the Blazers would eventually flip the script and take the ultimate control of the match. With the base of
Susanna Peonia leading the offense with 9 kills and 7 blocks, the Blazers were edge out the Flames and take set two, 26-24.
The Blazers used the momentum from the second set to dictate the third and final set of the game. The Flames were not able to stop the Blazers push for a 25-21 final score.
Graduate Assistant Coach
Ondrej Mican was very pleased with the outcome of how the girls fought back with determination and heart to finish The Flames in three.
"Going into the match I did not expect a win in 3. Lee had a very good serve receive and competitive offense," stated Mican. "In the second set we fought from behind the whole game and our team showed a lot of discipline to push through and win the second set, which was crucial for the development of the third set. We finished the weekend play on the road strong and we expect to build on that next week."
Jessica Codato dished out 23 assists for the day. Also,
Natalia Campos led the defense and tallied 14 digs, while
Julie Masonheimer added 5 blocks en route to the Saturday sweep.
The Blazers will be back in action on Tuesday, September 29th, as they travel to Winter Park, Fla. for a non-conference match against Rollins at 6:00 p.m.
