VALDOSTA, Ga. – Fresh off its first home match of the 2019 season, the Valdosta State volleyball team returns to the road this weekend as it travels to the USC Aiken Pacer Invitational in Aiken, S.C.  
 
The Blazers are one of seven teams competing in the tournament as Converse, Erskine, UNC Pembroke, West Florida, USCA, VSU and Francis Marion comprise the field. VSU opens the tournament Friday at 12 p.m. versus Converse and then will play at 2:30 p.m. versus UNC Pembroke. Saturday's action for the Blazers begins at 3 p.m. versus Francis Marion and the tournament concludes with VSU battling host USC Aiken at 5:30 p.m.  Fans can access links to live stats and streaming on vstateblazers.com on the volleyball schedule page.
 
VSU (5-4) is coming off a 3-0 sweep in the 2019 home-opener on Tuesday as the Blazers defeated Albany State.  The Blazers hit .250 for the match with 43 kills in 128 swings and junior Grace Daugherty had a team-high 10 kills, while junior Rebecca Sills had a match-high 18 digs. Behind the second-most fans in VSU volleyball history at an announced crowd of 401, the Blazer faithful was loud throughout and there was a great student contingent on hand.  
 
Prior to the match, the Gulf South Conference announced VSU senior Kayla Widera was named GSC Defensive Player of the Week after a record-setting weekend as VSU went 3-1 last weekend in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.  There, recorded a career-high and school-record 19 total blocks in a 3-0 win at Nova Southeastern in the NSU Shark Invitational II.  It marked the second-most total blocks in a match in GSC history.  She finished the weekend with 40 total blocks and averaged 10.0 blocks per match to earn all-tournament honors.  Widera had three solo blocks, while recording 16 digs and scored 47.5 points.  She hit .209 for the tournament.  She also was named Steel's Jewelry Blazer Athlete of the Week on Wednesday.
 
Nationally speaking, VSU ranks seventh overall and second in the GSC in blocks per set at 2.60, as West Florida leads the GSC at a 2.63 clip.  The Blazers are sixth nationally in total blocks (80.5) for second in the league behind UWF at 84.0.  Widera is seventh nationally in blocks per set at 1.55, while ranking third nationally in total blocks (48) to lead the conference.
 
Converse enters this weekend with a 1-8 record and is coming off its first win of the season in a 3-0 victory on Tuesday at Montreat.  Earlier this season the Valkyries dropped a 3-2 decision to GSC foe West Alabama in Florence, S.C.  Converse battled back after a 2-0 hole and fell 15-12 in the decisive set to the Tigers.
 
 
VSU downed Converse last season 3-0 in Spartanburg, S.C., where sophomore Jessie Mooney is the returning kill leader with 12.  Widera had three blocks in the match last season and junior Tammy Reyes Perez added 41 assists, while senior Dariah Powell tallied 20 digs.  VSU hit .264 for the match, while holding Converse to a .064 clip.  
 
UNC Pembroke is 6-4 on the year and has dropped its second-straight match after winning six-straight.  UNCP owns a 3-1 win over West Alabama this season as the only common opponent. Francis Marion is 5-3 on the year with a loss to West Alabama and win over Belmont Abbey.
 
The homestanding Pacers are 7-0 on the year and have wins over GSC foes Lee and Shorter this season.  The Pacers have dropped just one set this season in a 3-1 win over Carson-Newman in the second match of the season.  USCA has won 17-straight sets heading into the tournament this weekend. 
 
Following the tournament, the Blazers return home and will begin the GSC slate on the road at Shorter next Tuesday at 7 p.m., and then will open the home GSC schedule a week from Friday at 6 p.m. versus Lee at The Complex, beginning a four-match homestand.