VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Blazer Spotlight Podcast is back and its first guest for 2021 is from the No. 7-ranked Valdosta State women's basketball team.  This week, sophomore guard Jirah Ards joins Assistant Athletic Director for Development Matt Malone and Assistant Professor of Digital Production Dr. Colin Walker.
 
In 2019-20, Malone and Dr. Walker brought The Blazer Spotlight Podcast to life and won Best of Competition 2020 Broadcast Education Association Faculty Sports Radio Competition for the episode featuring VSU head women's soccer coach Stephen Andrew.  This week's episode is the ninth of the 2020-21 season, and first of 2021, while the 2019-20 season had a total of 23 episodes featuring numerous Blazer coaches, student-athletes and more. 
 
Ards, a native of Eufaula, Ala., talks with the duo about the strong start to the Lady Blazer women's basketball season, as the team is 10-1 on the year for the best record in the Gulf South Conference.  Ards transferred to VSU this year from Florida Southern and has had a strong start to her Blazer career.  She is averaging 7.2 points per game for fourth on the team, while she is 23 of 67 from the field and 27 of 34 from the line, while knocking down six treys.  Ards is averaging 6.1 rebounds per game for second on the team, while she has 29 assists for the year with 22 steals.  In addition, Ards shares a little-known fact about herself, what she likes about VSU and why Trypophobia is a real thing. 
 
Listen in by clicking on the links to the right of this story to learn more about Jirah and please take a moment to like and subscribe!