VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State University volleyball team is set to kick off its season Tuesday, Feb. 16 against the Flagler College Saints, at 7 p.m. inside The Complex. The Blazers will then travel to St. Augustine, Fla. Friday. Feb. 19, to face the Saints on the road at 6 p.m. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the team will be playing during the spring of 2021 in lieu of its fall 2020 slate.
 
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, there will be limited capacity at The Complex during volleyball games this spring season. A hard, limited capacity of 500 (five hundred) fans will be admitted to each home game. Face coverings will be required at all times for all guests over the age of 2. Fans are encouraged to come to The Complex early to ensure admittance. Doors will open one (1) hour before each match and all seats will be in The Complex's upper bowl, with all seating sold as general admission. Ticket prices for adults is $5 and senior (65+) and youth (5-College w/ID) ticket prices at $3.
 
Due to the pandemic, there will be no paper programs at the games this season, please click on the link to the right of this story and each home game preview throughout the season.  There also will be sheets at the entrances of the P.E. Complex each gameday with the QR code for the game program.
 
The Valdosta State volleyball team is set to play eight matches this season, including five Gulf South Conference matches. The GSC tournament is slated to be played from Mar. 26 – Apr. 2 with times and locations TBA.
 
The Blazers finished the 2019 season with a 13-20 overall record while going 5-11 in conference play. The Blazers will hit the court for the first time since Nov. 22, 2019, where it faced Auburn Montgomery in the GSC tournament.
 
Junior Jessie Mooney returns as the Blazers top hitter, where she tacked on 261 kills during the 2019 season which was good for second best on the team. Mooney played in all 33 matches while starting 29 and was second on the team in aces with 21.
 
Also returning for the Blazers is senior Tammy Reyes Perez as the Blazers leading setter. Reyes Perez totaled 579 assists, good for almost eight assists per set along with 16 service aces. The senior led the team in hitting percentage with a .329, averaging a little over a kill per set.
 
In her third year as the Blazers head coach, Kaleigh Zoucha brought in six new players, including Jillian Cassube (freshman, OH), Ramsey Marshall (freshman, DS), Zoey Chilcote (junior, MB), Caitlin Warnshuis (freshman, OH/RH), Erin Ergle (junior, S), and Olivia Piazza (junior, OH).
 
The Blazers totaled 1,274 kills during the 2019 season for a .164 hitting percentage to go along with its 129 service aces. Also on the court, VSU averaged 2.1 blocks per set, edging its opponents by .3.
 
Flagler will also see the court for the first time since the 2019 season where they finished with an overall record of 24-9 and got bounced in the second round of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional on Dec. 6.
 
Coached by Matt Affolder, the Saints are led by senior outside hitter Karlie Redfern who led the 2019 season in kills with 358, averaging 3.06 kills per set. The senior finished with a .204 hitting percentage and started in all 33 matching. Starting setter Kennedy Muff returns as well where she led the team with 1,144 assists, averaging 9.53 assists per game.
 
The Blazers look to break a three-game losing streak against the Saints, dating back to 2011 during the team's first meeting. During its last matchup on Sept. 29, 2017, the Blazers were unable to take control of a set where the Saints came away with a 3-0 win, the only matchup between the two teams where VSU was unable to win a set. VSU came close, however, scoring more than 20 points in two of the three sets. The Blazers average 20.10 points during its three meetings.
 
Please call 229-333-SEAT for more information on purchasing tickets. Check back with vstateblazers.com for updates on all things Blazer volleyball and on all VSU's 12 intercollegiate athletic programs.