VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State volleyball team is set to start the 2021 season at the Flagler Saints Invitational this weekend.  The Blazers will play four games in two days in the tournament, facing Eckerd, Belmont Abbey, the host Saints, and Lewis University (Ill.).
 
Fans can access links to live stats and streaming for the tournament at vstateblazers.com on the volleyball schedule page.  Check back with the site for complete recaps and stats each day.
 
The tournament kicks off for the Blazers as they battle Eckerd College at 11 a.m. on Friday, while they will conclude the first day with Belmont Abbey at 5 p.m.  On Saturday, the Blazers and the host Saints square off at 1 p.m., and VSU is scheduled to finish the tournament with Lewis at 5 p.m.
 
Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Kaleigh Zoucha, the Blazers look forward to a successful season with a strong core of returners and incoming freshmen.
 
"I think we have a lot of new players that are going to make an impact this season," said Zoucha. "There is still going to be some meshing and learning that we are going to have to work on as a team but playing in a strong tournament like the Flagler Saints Invitational will give us that experience of playing competitive teams." 
 
Since starting at Valdosta State Coach Zoucha has led her team to the GSC conference tournament each year. During the Spring 2021 season, the Blazers took down Auburn Montgomery 3-1 to advance to the GSC Spring Championship Series Quarterfinal. With a great group of players on the team, the Blazers are looking to return to the conference tournament this season and continue their ascent in the region and nationally.
 
The upcoming matchups for VSU this weekend will be an excellent start for the Blazers 2021 fall season. With powerful incoming freshmen and great returners, the Blazers are looking for a successful weekend.
Returners Jessie Mooney and Tammy Reyes-Perez are looking to continue their great careers at VSU this season. Senior outside hitter Jessie Mooney started all 10 matches in the 2021 condensed COVID season while leading the team in 121 kills on 346 swings receiving a .255 average. Mooney reached a season-high of 20 kills last season in the GSC Spring Championship series.
 
Senior setter Tammy Reyes Perez has made an enormous impact on VSU volleyball and is preparing to continue to do so this fall 2021 season. The Bayamon, P.R., native, has played in 98 matches and 347 sets at VSU and has scored a total of 357.5 points. Perez has a career total of 2,444 assist for a 7.0 average per set along with 733 digs and 74 total blocks. Perez has recorded 30 matches of double-digit digs for her career.
 
Returner, Kennedy Deluca, is looking to continue a great career this 2021 season.  This past spring, the sophomore middle blocker recorded a team-high of 24 total blocks and 21 assisted rejections.  As a freshman in 2019, Deluca recorded a season-high of 14 kills on 22 attempts, swinging a .455. "My goal this season is to put 110% into everything," said the Trinity, Fla, native. "With COVID, you never know when it could be your last game, so I plan to play like every game is my last."
 
Graduate transfer Deona Mims is on track to have a key role on the Blazers volleyball team. A native of Spartanburg, SC., the Lander University transfer had an outstanding career for the Bearcats.  She tallied 367 kills with a hitting percentage of .128.  Mims also added 92 digs and 77 total blocks throughout 161 sets played.  Mims began her career at Charleston Southern, where she finished her freshman season with 16 kills and 12 digs.  She also recorded two service aces and three blocks during 20 sets played for the Buccaneers.
 
Freshman, 6'2", Jefferson, Ga., native, Jojo Smith said she has been chiefly mentally preparing for the season but is also getting in as many reps as she can to better herself. "The transition from high school to college is very different, but I love the faster pace of the game and the tougher mindset I have to have as an individual," said Smith.
 
Zoucha welcomes back 14 players from last season and added Smith, Mims, along with freshman Ah'Miah Harris of Columbus, Ga., and freshman Kylie Stroehlein of Tampa, Fla., for the largest team since Zoucha took over the program in March of 2018.
 
Following the Flagler Saints Invitational, the Blazers are set to have their home series opener on Tuesday, September 7th, at 6 p.m. vs. Edward Waters at The Complex.  The Blazers then will host the VSU Fall Tournament on September 10^th and 11^th.  It will feature six teams: VSU, Eckerd, Albany State, Saint Leo, UNC Pembroke, Arkansas-Fort Smith. The Edward Waters match will mark the first fall home volleyball match since November 16th, 2019, when VSU downed Mississippi College 3-0 on Senior Day. With this last home win in 2019, the Blazers clinched a postseason spot in the Gulf South Conference Tournament.
 
Due to the shortened 2020 fall season because of COVID, the team is looking forward to getting back into action on Friday. "We as a team have talked a lot about being resilient this season," Zoucha said. "We have had a lot of things happen from COVID that we have bounced back from, and it has only made us stronger."
 
Check back with vstateblazers.com for information throughout the season on Blazer Volleyball and all 12 Blazer athletic teams or follow Blazer Athletics on social media.