VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State volleyball team returns back to the court Saturday, Mar. 6, to compete in its first Gulf South Conference matchup against Montevallo and Auburn Montgomery in a multi-team event. The Blazers will then face West Florida at home Tuesday, Mar. 9 at 7 p.m.
 
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 Blazers (0-2, 0-0 GSC) return home after dropping its first two matches of the year to a tough opponent in Flagler College. The team only came away with one set during the two matches but fought throughout as it averaged 20.3 points per set. The Blazers were able to secure the first set on the road Feb. 19, taking control and winning 25-16 but Flagler came back and narrowly beat the Blazers the following set 25-23. As a team, VSU has 82 kills for a .214 hitting percentage and averages 11.7 kills per set, along with 73 assists. The Blazers average one service ace per set and have accounted for 11 blocks during its first two matches.
 
The Blazers are led by junior Jessie Mooney who's started both matches this season and leads the team in kills with 24 with an average of 3.43 kills a set. The junior has 17 digs on the year as well as two service aces. Senior Tammy Reyes Perez is the Blazers leading setter with 47 assists in the seven sets that she has seen for 6.71 per set, as she has tacked on three kills as well. On the defensive end of the ball, redshirt freshman Lyara Rosario Hernandez averages 2.57 digs per set from her 18 total digs to lead the team.
 
The Falcons enter the weekend slate 5-0, having a 15-6 set advantage against its opponents this year. Montevallo has accounted for 266 kills for 12.7 kills per set where it holds its opponents to just 9.4 kills per set. The team hits at a .230 percentage with 104 attack errors. With 47 service aces, the Falcons average 2.2 per set along with 11.4 assists per set. On the defensive end, the Falcons have recorded 327 digs along with 35.5 blocks, good for 1.7 a set.
 
Senior Evelina Teran, who was named to the GSC Returning Players Watchlist, leads the team with 92 kills for 4.38 kills per set and is one of three Falcons to see all 21 sets. One of the other players that has seen 21 sets is starting setter Isabelle Fuell who leads the team with 170 assists, good for 8.10 assists per set. The setter also is tied for leading the team with her 10 service aces. Freshman Casey Hendrixson rounds out the three to have played all 21 sets where she sits at the top of the team in total digs with 81, good for 3.86 a set.
 
The Blazers last saw the Falcons during the 2019 season, dropping its match three sets to one. The Falcons are a tough test for the Blazers where VSU has only won one match against the team and are currently on a three-match losing streak. The Blazers swept the Falcons during its first matchup in 2017 inside The Complex but have only managed to escape with two set wins since then. The Blazers have kept it close throughout the team's matchups as it accounts for 20.1 average points compared to the Falcons 24.4.
 
The Warhawks enter the weekend 1-0 overall, taking its first match 3-1 against West Alabama. Auburn Montgomery has accounted for 65 kills for 16.3 kills per set where its opponents get 10.3 kills per set. The team hits at a .331 percentage with 16 attack errors. With six service aces, the Warhawks average 1.5 per set along with 15.5 assists per set. On the defensive end, the Warhawks have recorded 70 digs for 17.5 a set while only recording 2.0 blocks.
 
GSC Returning Player Watchlist junior Nyah Whittlesey leads the team with 16 kills for 4.0 kills per set and has played in all four sets the Warhawks have been a part of this season. The second Warhawk named to the GSC Returning Player Watchlist is junior setter Isadora Nicolai who has 51 assists on the season for an average of 12.75 assists per set. The junior has accounted for a third of the team's service aces with her two.
 
The Blazers hold a one match advantage over the Warhawks, winning four compared to the Warhawks three, but the Warhawks are currently on a three-match win streak, all coming from the 2019 season. The Warhawks handed the Blazers its last loss in the 2019 season during the Gulf South Conference Tournament by three sets to one. The Blazers have only dropped one match at home with two wins with an 8-4 set advantage in those three matches. Overall, the Blazers hold a 16-13 set advantage over the Warhawks and went on a four-match win streak which spanned from the 2017 season through the 2018 season.
 
West Florida finished the 2019 season 26-9 overall and were crowned the Gulf South Conference Tournament champs before Barry ended its season in the South Regional. The Argonauts averaged 13.3 kills per set off 1740 kills where its opponents averaged 11.6 per set. The team hit at a .217 percentage with 673 attack errors. UWF accounted for 144 service aces on the year which was good for 1.1 per set. On the defensive end, the Argonauts averaged 2.3 blocks per set and finished the season with 2361 digs, good for an average of 18.0.
 
Redshirt sophomore Versesia Yon returns as the team's leading hitter where she recorded 353 kills in 2019 with a .336 hitting percentage. The redshirt sophomore averaged 2.82 kills per set with just 103 errors. She also led the team in blocks with a total of 139.0. Junior Taylor Vaneekeren returns as the team's leading setter as she accounted for 825 of the squads 1621 assists on the year which was good for 6.45 per set. On defense, senior Ashton Marshall led the team in 2019 with 595 digs for an average of 4.54 digs per set.
 
The Argonauts pose as a threat for the Blazers as VSU is 3-17 during its last 20 matches against UWF and is currently on an eight-game match losing streak. During those 20 matchups, the Argonauts have taken 54 of 74 sets and have blanked the Blazers in four of its last five outings. Two of the Blazers match wins came on its home court with a 3-2 win during the 2015 season, the last time VSU beat out the Argonauts, along with a 3-1 win in 2014. The Blazers longest win streak spanned two games during the 2014 season where VSU swept the Argonauts to advance to the GSC Tournament Finals.
 
After the trio of games, the Blazers head to the road to face off against Shorter Mar. 12 as well as Lee Mar. 13. 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.