Fort Lauderdale, Fla.- The Valdosta State Blazers split Saturday's doubleheader against Belmont Abbey and Southern New Hampshire. The Blazers took care of Belmont Abbey in the first match, sweeping the Crusaders 3-0. Valdosta battled against Southern New Hampshire, before falling in the fifth set, losing 3-2.
 
THE BASICS (Game One):
Score: Valdosta State 3, Belmont Abbey 0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-18)
Records: Valdosta State (4-3) ,  Belmont Abbey (0-7)
Location: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Nova Southeastern University)


HOW IT HAPPENED (Game One): 

• The Blazers .308 hitting percentage in the first set to win 25-14.
• VSU had double-digit kills throughout the entire match, with 15 the highest amount.  
• Kayla Widera stayed hot, with 10 blocks dominating the middle of the court.
• VSU handled the Crusaders, leading to a 3-0 sweep

 
THE BASICS (Game Two):
Score: Valdosta State 2, Southern New Hampshire 3 (25-21, 18-25 ,14-25, 25-23, 9-15)   
Records: Valdosta State (4-4), Southern New Hampshire (3-3)
Location: Ft. Lauderdale (Nova Southeastern University)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (Game Two)

• VSU started hot out of the gate against Southern New Hampshire, leading 11-6.
• The Penmen rallied late , but VSU held on to win the first set.
• A slow start in the second set allowed for the Penmen to even the match at one set a piece
• After losing set number three, the Blazers kept their hopes alive with a close 25-23 win in set number four.
• In the final set, both teams traded scores  with VSU leading 9-8
• Southern New Hampshire rattled off seven straight points to take the set and the match

 
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:  

• Senior Kayla Widera dominated once again, with 13 total blocks.
• For the entire weekend, Widera totaled 40 blocks.
• Through both matches, VSU had 75 kills in 263 swings, good for .285 percentage.
• Junior Tammy Reyes Perez totaled 67 assists between both matches, including 37 against Southern New Hampshire.
• Perez (37 assists and 15 digs) and sophomore Jessie Mooney (11 kills and 19 digs) registered double-doubles against the Penman

UP NEXT:

• The Blazers will travel back home to host Albany State, Tuesday at 6:00 PM.
• Check back with vstateblazers.com for links to live stats and streaming for the matches.