VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State volleyball team announced its 2022 schedule, highlighting nine home matches inside The Complex.
The Blazers begin the season with a trip up the East Coast, taking on Saint Anselm in Manchester, N.H. on Aug. 25 at 5:30 p.m., followed by the Sandy Hoffman Memorial Tournament at Bentley University in Waltham, Mass., Aug. 26-27. The Blazers will face Purdue Northwest (Ind.), American International (Mass.), Holy Family (Pa.) and finish the tournament versus the host Bentley to close the opening weekend.
Holy Family, Bentley and American International qualified for the NCAA East Regional. Holy Family reached the second round of the regional, bowing out to American International, who fell in the regional final, while Bentley lost in the first round of the regional.
After the tournament, the Blazers will return to The Complex to open the home slate against Clark Atlanta on August 31 at 6 p.m. After the lone home match in August, VSU will compete in the Newberry College Volleyball Invitational in Newberry, S.C., and then the Peach Belt Conference/GSC Crossover in Carrollton, Ga., Sept. 9-10.
VSU will battle Southern Wesleyan (S.C.) and Newberry (S.C.) on Sept. 2 at 2 p.m., and 7 p.m., respectfully, and will finish the Newberry Invitational with two matches against Lees-McRae on Sept. 3 at 12 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. The following weekend, the Blazers are scheduled to face Georgia College on Sept. 9 at 2 p.m., followed by a match with USC Aiken at 6 p.m., in Carrollton, Ga. The preconference slate concludes with a match with Augusta on Sept. 10 at 12 p.m., also in Carrollton, Ga.
After the PBC/GSC Crossover, the Blazers will open GSC action against reigning league champion West Florida on Sept. 13 at 7 p.m., ET in Pensacola, Fla. Following the match with the Argos, the Blazers will travel back to Carrollton to take on West Georgia on Sept. 17 at 1 p.m., before returning home for a pair of home matches, hosting Union on Sept. 23 at 6 p.m., and then Christian Brothers on Sept. 24 at 1 p.m., inside The Complex.
VSU will get quite familiar with Lee with two of the next three matches against the Flames, beginning in Cleveland, Tenn., with a Sept. 30 date at 7 p.m., followed by a trip to Shorter on Oct. 1 at 2 p.m. The Blazers then host the Flames on Tues., Oct. 4 at 6 p.m., at The Complex.
Trips to Mississippi College (Oct. 7) and West Alabama (Oct. 8), follow and then the Blazers head to Hoover, Ala., for the annual GSC/Sunshine State Regional Crossover, scheduled for Oct. 14-15. Matchups and times for the crossover will be announced at a late date.
After the crossover, the Blazers will resume GSC play with a three-match homestand beginning with Alabama Huntsville on Oct. 21 at 6 p.m., followed by Montevallo on Oct. 22 at 1 p.m. and Shorter on Oct. 25 at 6 p.m.
VSU will complete the regular-season road slate at Christian Brothers on Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. ET in Memphis, Tenn., and then Union on Oct. 29 at 3 p.m. ET in Jackson, Tenn.
Rounding out the 2022 regular season, the Blazers are scheduled to host Auburn Montgomery on Nov. 3 at 6 p.m., and West Georgia on Nov. 4 at 6 p.m., at The Complex.
The Gulf South Conference Championship is set to begin Nov. 7 at campus sites for seeds 5-8. The winners of the 5-8 matchups will then advance to the final championship site at the GSC Championship top-seed, Nov. 11-13.
Head Coach Kaleigh Zoucha welcomes back five players for the red and black, including senior Olivia Piazza, sophomores Kylie Stroehlein, JoJo Smith, who was named GSC Freshman of the Year in 2021 and was named to the GSC First Team All-Conference, Ah'miah Harris, Lyara Rosario and Ramsey Marshall.
In addition to the returning players, Zoucha welcomes eight fresh faces to the roster including two freshmen and six key transfers. Audrey Bennett, a sophomore transfer from Chadron State had 69 kills for a .110 average in her freshman campaign. On defense, she recorded 158 digs with two solo blocks and 27 assisted rejections.
The Blazers also welcome Victoria Zarazel, a sophomore transfer from Daytona State College. In her two years at Daytona State she recorded 31 kills, 30 aces and 195 digs. Giulia Dias, a sophomore transfer from Indian River State College, joins the team this season as she played in 16 matches in 2021 with 168 assists as the setter, along with 70 digs. In her freshman season, she played in nine matches with 114 assists, five aces and 41 digs.
Mallory Roney, a graduate transfer also from Indian River State College played alongside Dias. She earned first-team all-conference honors in 2019 and this past season, she played in 22 matches with 193 kills for second on the team, while she hit .179 for the season. She had 22 aces for second on the team with 220 digs, one solo block and 34 assisted blocks.
Christina Pettigrew, a sophomore transfer, played two seasons at Northeastern Junior College. She competed in 30 matches as a freshman in 2019 with 187 kills and a .230 hitting percentage. She recorded three aces with 14 digs, 15 solo blocks and 74 assisted blocks for the season, while scoring 242 points. In 2020, she played in 32 matches with 235 kills for a .328 average, while recording 32 aces for the season.
Mackenzie Murray, a transfer from Louisiana Tech. She played in 48 sets across 20 matches, including two starts during her sophomore season in 2021 and played in 15 sets across nine matches in her freshman campaign. The Blazers also added the services of freshmen Ava Young of Rockford, Mich., and Kameron Taylor of Athens, Ga.
Zoucha also adds the additions of graduate assistants Iva Scepanovic and Rami Mullen to the coaching staff.
For all updates on Blazer volleyball, visit vstateblazers.com or follow Valdosta State Athletics on social media.
