VALDOSTA, Ga. – Coming off a 3-1 record at the Nova Southeastern Shark II Invitational, the Valdosta State volleyball team opens the 2019 home slate Tuesday at 6 p.m. at The Complex versus Albany State.  
 
Fans can access links to live stats and streaming of the match at vstateblazers.com.  Check back with the site for a complete recap of the match and stats.  
 
VSU had a record-setting weekend as the team evened its overall record at 4-4 with the three victories.  Blazer senior Kayla Widera set a school record with 19 total blocks in a 3-1 win over the host Sharks in the opener on Friday.  Her 19 total blocks also marked second-most in GSC history in a single match. It also marked the most of any division in the NCAA by a player this season.  
 
The Blazers then finished the first day of action with a 3-0 win over Florida Tech as Widera tallied 27 total blocks in the two matches and the team hit .285 combined for the day.  Junior Tammy Reyes Perez had 59 total assists for two matches, with 35 coming against Florida Tech.  Senior Dariah Powell tallied a double-double versus Florida Tech with 16 kills and 13 digs as she had two double-doubles during the four matches this past weekend.  
 
On Saturday, the Blazers blitzed Belmont Abbey 3-0 and won each set by six or more points in the process and then dropped a hard-fought 3-2 match to Southern New Hampshire to conclude the tournament.  Against SNHU, the Blazers battled back from a 2-1 for a 25-23 win in the fourth set to force the decisive set and led 9-8, SNHU rattled off the final seven points for a 15-9 win.  Widera finished the weekend with a staggering 40 total blocks in the matches, while Powell had two double-doubles as both were named to the NSU Shark II Invitational All-Tournament Team.
 
Albany State enters the season at 2-4 and has dropped its past four matches this past weekend at a tournament hosted by Augusta University.  The Golden Rams won one set in 12 sets played over the weekend in a 3-1 loss to King (Tenn.). Updated statistics were not readily available for the Golden Rams at the time of this story.
 
The Blazers, who downed Albany State 3-0 last season in Valdosta have 308 kills this season for a .186 average in 942 attacks. The Blazers are averaging 11.0 kills per set, along with 289 assists and have 18 aces for the season.  VSU has 79.5 total blocks with 137 assists and 11 solo rejections.  
 
Individually, Powell leads the team with 76 kills and 88 points.  She has a .196 hitting average in 245 attempts, while sophomore Jessie Mooney is second in kills with 63.  Reyes Perez leads the team with 236 assists, while she and freshman Katie Demo have five aces each to lead the team.  Widera has a team-high 48 total blocks with four solo and 44 assisted.  She has 23 digs for fifth on the team, while junior Rebecca Sills leads the team with 114 digs.  
 
Following the match on Saturday, the Blazers return to the road for the USCA Aiken Invitational this weekend in Aiken, S.C., where they will face Converse, UNC Pembroke, Francis Marion and the host Pacers.  The Blazers open the tournament with Converse and UNC Pembroke on Friday at 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively.