Match Information
Score: West Florida 3, Valdosta State University 0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-17)
Records: UWF (1-0, 0-0 GSC), VSU (0-5, 0-2 GSC)
Location: The Complex – Valdosta State University
 
VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Blazers came up short during its nonconference matchup against West Florida, dropping three sets to none. Jessie Mooney led the Blazers with seven kills for a .167 hitting percentage where Tammy Reyes Perez was the leading setter with 24 assists. VSU finished the day with 31 kills and 19 errors and accounted for four service aces.
 
First Set:
Zoey Chilcote gave the Blazers the first point of the match, but the Argonauts came right back to score two quick points to put itself ahead. The game went back and forth until the middle of the set as it saw five ties and three lead changes, helped by three kills from Keelyn Williams. Williams helped keep the Blazers in the game with three kills over four serves to put the game tied at seven. The Argonauts scored three quick points to force a Blazer timeout which it came out of and stopped the Argonauts momentum with a point of its own. After back-to-back service errors, the Blazers were only down by a point, but the Argonauts took control to score seven straight points. Now down 19-11, the Blazers were forced to play from behind. VSU went on a quick four point run to ease the deficit but UWF scored its final three points to win set one 25-16.
 
Second Set:
Just like the set before, VSU found the first point off Reyes Perez, right before UWF knotted it up. Replicated like the first set, both teams battled back-and-forth where VSU saw its largest lead of the set at 8-6 after Mooney's hit found the floor. The Argonauts came back and scored six quick points to take the lead as VSU was able to answer with two points of its own. The Argonauts went on another quick run to pull ahead 17-11 but the Blazers didn't count itself out. VSU went on a strong five-point run which stemmed from a Reyes Perez kill to make it a one-point game. The Blazers tied the game at 19 before the Argonauts pulled ahead, but the Blazers fought and tied things up at 22 after three kills in-a-row from three separate Blazers. The Argonauts cooled the Blazers flame though and scored the final three points of the set, taking a two-set advantage.
 
Third Set:
The Blazers tacked on the first point of the final set but in a common occurrence, the Argonauts took over and scored four points to force the Blazers to play from behind. A ball handling error from the Argonauts pushed it to a two-point deficit, but the Argonauts rallied and scored seven of the next eight points. Chilcote recorded another kill which started a run of four as the junior added another kill to her name. The Blazers couldn't control the Argonauts as it went on another run to force a Blazer timeout and put itself up 18-12. There was no quit in the Blazers as it was able to come back and cut its deficit down to just a pair of points. The comeback fell short though as the Argonauts scored seven of the next eight points to take the 25-17 set win and sweep the Blazers.
 
Inside the Numbers:
Lyara Rosario Hernandez recorded a pair of service aces along with Mooney and Ramsey Marshall adding one of its own. As a team, Valdosta State hit at a .112 percent where the Argonauts edged VSU as it finished with a .288 percentage. Reyes Perez led the team in digs with 12 as the Blazers defense totaled 38.
 
UP NEXT:
The Blazers resume conference play this weekend against Shorter, set for Friday, Mar. 12, at 7 p.m., along with a matchup against Lee the following day at 11 a.m. Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information and more at vstateblazers.com on the volleyball schedule page.