Box Score VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State Blazer volleyball team kicked their season off in great form at the Lynn Invitational in Boca Raton, Fla. with a convincing 3-0 (25-8, 25-14, 25-20) victory over Barton on Friday afternoon.
The Bulldogs took a 3-2 lead during the early part of the first set, but a kill by junior outside hitter
Antia Rodriguez-Sanchez, followed by an attack error by BC's Ginny Howard allowed the Blazers to reclaim the lead. From that point on, VSU took complete control of the set, outscoring the Bulldogs 21-5.
Rodriguez-Sanchez provided four additional kills in the second set to help VSU cruise to a comfortable 25-14 win. The Bulldogs were turned away several times throughout the frame, as the Blazers put up a strong effort at the net with eight blocks in the second set alone.
Valdosta State racked up 14 blocks in the match, six of which belonged to
Susanna Peonia. The defensive effort for the Blazers forced Barton to commit 24 attack errors, which helped VSU remain on the offensive throughout the afternoon.
"I was really pleased with our aggressive serving and blocking," stated Head Coach
Mike Swan following the win. "I thought we dictated the tempo of the match from that. Our serve receive needs improvement, but defensively, we got quality saves from several players."
Along with strong blocking, the Blazer defense tallied 53 digs in the match with three players reaching double digit numbers in the column. Junior
Natalia Campos led the way with 15 digs, while
Ashley Miller and
Jessica Codato each added 13. Codato's defensive effort complemented 24 assists to give the senior her first double-double of the 2015 season.
In the third and final set, the Bulldogs offered their toughest challenge of the afternoon, but the Blazers used kills from eight different players to pick up a 25-20 win and complete the three-set sweep.
The Blazers continue in the weekend tournament tomorrow with a pair of matches against Barry at 1:00 p.m. and the Lynn Fighting Knights at 5:00 p.m. Blazer Nation can follow the action throughout the day with live video and live stats right here at www.vstateblazers.com.
