VALDOSTA, Ga. – Susanna Peonia recorded her first career double-double to help lead the Valdosta State Blazers to a lopsided 3-1 victory over Brevard College in their season opener at the Flagler Invitational on Friday afternoon.
 
Due to personnel changes during the offseason, Head Coach Mike Swan elected to move Peonia away from last year's middle blocker position into an outside hitter role. The senior, who was voted on by Gulf South Conference coaches as the Blazers' lone Preseason All-GSC selection, responded favorably and swung for a .302 hitting effort with 17 kills and 17 digs in the match.
 
The Tornados overcame a 23-20 deficit late in the opening set to tie the contest up at 24-24 before back-to-back attack errors by BC's Hannah Elmore allowed VSU to open up a 1-0 lead in the contest.
 
Set two saw the Blazers take control of the match, thanks in part to an offensive surge by Antia Rodriguez-Sanchez, who blasted six kills and hit .308 in the second set alone. Rodriguez-Sanchez's performance, combined with an aggressive three-kill effort from setter Carly Smart, lifted VSU to a 2-0 advantage.
 
The Blazers slipped in the third set and fell 25-21 before regrouping for a dominant 25-13 win in the fourth and final set.
 
As a team, the Blazers hit just .224, but the red and black defense helped survive the Tornados with 12 blocks, 66 digs, and just four receiving errors. As a result, BC was held to a .176 hitting percentage and was outscored 97-82 overall on the afternoon.
 
The win lifted VSU to a 1-0 start on the season, while Brevard fell to 0-1.
 
Next up for the Blazers, the Flagler Invitational continues in St. Augustine with an 11:00 a.m. matchup against Southern Indiana on Saturday morning. Live coverage of the event will be available, courtesy of Flagler, at www.vstateblazers.com.