VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State volleyball team dethroned the No. 21 ranked North Alabama Lions on Friday night with a 3-0 sweep in front of a lively crowd at The Complex in Valdosta, Ga.
The highlight of the night was a tremendous comeback effort in the third and final set, in which the Blazers overcame an early 8-1 deficit in order to claim the sweep. VSU slowly climbed back into the frame before
Natalia Campos reeled off an 8-0 service run to give VSU a 23-21 advantage. The Lions returned fire and tightened the gap to 24-23 with a kill by Peyton Lang and an attack error by
Antia Rodriguez-Sanchez, but an attack error by UNA's Natasha Fomina gave VSU match point to conclude the match.
The Blazers were led by Rodriguez-Sanchez, who delivered what was arguably her best offensive effort of the 2016 season. The senior swung for a game high 17 kills against just seven errors to help lead Valdosta State to the huge league triumph.
On the defensive side,
Sydney Chick anchored the Blazers with 22 digs, while Campos chipped in with 14 pick-ups.
Susanna Peonia also added five blocks in the match to go along with 10 kills.
The victory lifted VSU to 6-10 on the season and 4-5 in conference play, while the Lions fell to 15-2 overall and dropped to 7-2 against league opponents.
Valdosta State will quickly return to action on Saturday, with another GSC matchup against the visiting Chargers of Alabama-Huntsville. First serve is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at The Complex.
In the wake of Hurricane Matthew, the Valdosta State Athletic Department is welcoming all evacuees from the affected areas outside of the Lowndes County/Valdosta area to each of our scheduled Athletic events this weekend. As our special guests, free admission will be provided to each of our attending evacuees. In order to claim a free general admission ticket, a driver's license will need to be shown at each event.
Evacuees may claim their free ticket at the main entrance of The Complex for Blazer volleyball matches, and tickets for Saturday night's football game may be claimed at the red Will Call tent, located near the main ticket gate on Williams Street at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium across from the American Legion. Blazer volleyball will square off against UAH on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m., while Valdosta State football will host conference rival West Georgia at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday night. Volleyball gates open one hour prior to the match, and football gates will open at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
