VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State Athletic Department begins its first full week of athletics for the 2022-23 season with a busy home slate beginning Wednesday.  The Blazer volleyball team begins the week with its 2022 home-opener versus Clark Atlanta, followed by both soccer and football on Thursday and the VSU Border Clash Cross Country meet in Friday.  
 
Volleyball
Wednesday, Aug. 31, 6 p.m., vs. Clark Atlanta, The Complex - Live Stats / Live Stream / Tickets
Sept. 3-4 at Newberry College Tournament (Check back with vstateblazers.com on the volleyball schedule page for links to live stats and streaming of the tournament)

 
The Valdosta State volleyball team looks forward to a full week of action as the team is set to open the 2022 home slate on Wednesday, Aug. 31, against Clark Atlanta at 6 p.m., inside The Complex and then the squad is scheduled to travel to Newberry, S.C. for the Newberry College Volleyball Invitational Sept. 2-3.  
 
VSU, with a record of 1-4, is coming off a trip up the East Coast, as the team opened the season with a loss to Saint Anselm last Thursday and picked up their first win of the season against Holy Family University on Saturday.  
 
Sophomore Jojo Smith leads the Blazers in kills with 41, while sophomore Lyara Rosario has a team-high 52 digs on the year along with eight service aces. Sophomore Christina Pettigrew leads the team with 19 blocks through 14 sets played. The Blazers are hitting .127 on the season and have recorded 172 kills, 250 digs and 35 blocks.   
 
The meeting against Clark Atlanta, who comes to TitleTown at 0-3, will mark the third meeting between the two teams as VSU holds a 2-0 record over the Panthers. In 2021, the Panthers had a 13-11 record and an 8-7 mark in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
 
The last time the teams met was in the 2021 season when the Blazers swept CAU 3-0. Smith recorded 12 kills during the game while Rosario led the team with 14 digs.  
 
After hosting Clark Atlanta, the Blazers will travel to Newberry, S.C., to play in the Newberry College Volleyball Invitational. VSU will take on Southern Wesleyan on Sept. 2 at 2 p.m., and then will face Newberry at 7 p.m.   On day two, the Blazers will have a doubleheader with Lees-McRae (0-4) with the first game slated to begin at noon and the second match set to begin at 4:30 p.m.   
 
The matches against Southern Wesleyan (0-3) marks the first meeting on the court, while VSU is 1-0 against Newberry and 2-0 record versus Lees-McRae.  VSU last faced Newberry in Aiken, S.C., on Sept. 13, 2008, coming away with a 3-0 victory.  The Blazers won a pair of neutral site matches over the Bobcats in 2016 (3-0 in Miami, Fla., and in 2017 in Milledgeville, Ga., with a 3-1 victory.  
 
Last season, SWU went 1-21 record, picking up a lone win against Johnson C. Smith University, while Newberry 12-14 and voted seventh in the South Atlantic Conference Preseason Poll.  Lees-McRae had a 9-17 record in 2021 and was picked tenth this season in the 2022 Conference Carolinas Preseason Poll.  
 
Following the tournament this weekend, the Blazers continue on the road Sept. 9-10 in Carrollton, Ga., for matches with Georgia College, USC Aiken and Augusta, before opening Gulf South Conference play on the road at West Florida (Sept. 13) and back in Carrollton at West Georgia on Sept. 17.  VSU returns home to host Union and Christian Brothers on Sept. 23 and Sept. 25, respectively, at The Complex.
 
Women's Soccer
Thursday, Sept. 1, 6 p.m., vs. Georgia College, VSU Soccer Complex - Live Stream / Live Stats / Tickets
Sunday, Sept. 4, 2 p.m., at Emmanuel College, Franklin Springs, Ga. - Live Stats
 
The Blazer soccer team had to wait an extra week for its first action as the team had its season-opener versus Clayton State washed out last Thursday due to lightning and storms last Thursday.  Now, the Blazers will open the season with Georgia College, Thursday at 6 p.m. at the VSU Soccer Complex.  VSU then will make its first road trip of the season on Sunday at 2 p.m., at Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Ga.  
 
Georgia College enters with a 0-1-1 record after tying 0-0 at Florida Southern last Friday and then losing 2-1 at Saint Leo on Saturday.  GC keeper Kate Richardson tallied seven saves against Florida Southern in the 0-0 draw.  The Bobcats scored a goal late in the contest at Saint Leo as Amanda Dewey notched the Bobcats' first score of the season in the 84^th minute.  Richardson had three save between the posts against Saint Leo. 
 
The Bobcats were picked sixth in the preseason Peach Belt Conference Poll, while midfielder Summer Ligon was named to the Preseason All-PBC Team.  Ligon finished the 2021 season with one goal from the defensive midfield position and fired 17 shots and eight on target with one game winner.  GC went 8-9 last season and 3-6 in PBC play.  The Bobcats won 3-0 over VSU on Sept. 10 in Milledgeville.  GC leads the all-time series 1-0-1 with the win last season and a 0-0 draw also in Milledgeville on Sept. 9, 2016.  Jack Marchant is in his first season at the helm of the Bobcats, after spending the last three seasons at Georgia State as an assistant. 
 
Following the match versus GC, the Blazers head to North Georgia to take on the Lions of Emmanuel College in the first meeting between the teams on the pitch.  Emmanuel enters the week with a 1-1 record and will play at Gulf South Conference rival Lee on Sept. 1, before entertaining the Blazers Sunday.  EC won 3-0 at Shorter last week and then dropped a 2-1 decision to Lander on Saturday.  Four different players each have a goal thus far in the season, while both Ellie Gathercole and Hannah Thompson have each played and started one match in goal thus far.  Thompson has seven saves and two goals allowed, while Gathercole has the lone shutout and one save.
 
The Lions were picked tenth in the Conference Carolinas Preseason Poll, while Viki Lederer, Emilia Dingwall and Olivia Weider were named players to watch for Emmanuel this season. Weider is one of the four players with a goal so far.  Head coach Nathan Harrell has been at Emmanuel since 2016 as the team went 5-11-1 last season and 4-7-1 in Conference Carolinas.
 
The Blazer women's soccer team returns a wealth of talent from its 11-7-1 record from a season ago.  The Blazers went 8-4-1 in Gulf South Conference play and earned a berth in the NCAA postseason for the first time since 2014.  Head coach Stephen Andrew begins his sixth season at the helm of the Blazers as he is 46-29-6 overall (.690) and 37-16-5 (.681) in GSC play.  
 
VSU was picked fourth in the GSC Preseason Poll and had three players named to the GSC All-Preseason Team.  Sophomore defender Taylor Morris, sophomore forward Molly Wooldridge and senior midfielder Bailey Hern all earn all-preseason accolades.  Wooldridge was named GSC Freshman of the Year in 2021 and earned second team all-conference honors, logging nine goals with three assists for 21 points to lead the team.  Morris helped a back line as she logged 1,513 minutes in 19 starts with one goal and one assist, also earning second team all-league honors as a freshman.  Hern finished with seven goals and four assists for 18 points for second on the team in all three areas.  She had a team-high 39 shots with 20 on frame and a team-high three game-winners.
 
Football
#2/3 Valdosta State vs. Keiser University, Thurs., Sept. 1, 7 p.m., Bazemore-Hyder Stadium

 
SETTING THE SCENE
The No. 2/3-ranked and defending national-runner up Valdosta State football team opens the 2022 season and the Tremaine Jackson era with a Thursday night matchup with Keiser University of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) out of West Palm Beach, Fla., at 7 p.m. at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.  This marks the first Thursday night contest for VSU since 2015 and the first time opening a season on a Thursday since 1993.  Check back with vstateblazers.com for complete game notes on Wednesday.  
 
CALLING THE GAME
TALK 92.1 FM will broadcast the Blazer games all season long with Spencer Van Horn and Wade Beale having the call of the game.  Fans also can access the broadcast at www.talk921.com.  In addition, Dave Garner and Taylor Biddle will have the call of the game on the webstream which can be accessed at vstateblazers.com on the football schedule page for each home game this season.
 
HOW TO PURCHASE TICKETS
Season tickets and single-game tickets currently are available for purchase online at vstateblazers.com or by calling the Athletic Department Ticket Office at 229-333-SEAT (7328).  The Athletic Department Ticket Office is Open Monday-Friday and tickets can be purchased until 2:45 p.m., the day prior to each home game (i.e. Friday at 2:45 p.m. for Saturday home game).  The Athletic Department Ticket Office is located in The P.E. Complex on Sustella Avenue until 3 p.m. the day before a game.  
 
FLOSPORTS
The Gulf South Conference enters its second year of a four-year agreement with FloSports to broadcast all GSC football games this fall.  ALL VSU football home regular season and road conference livestream broadcasts will be available exclusively through FloSports. Fans can purchase a monthly membership for $19.99 or an annual subscription for $150 ($12.50/month).  The yearly membership is a saving of nearly $90.  Subscribe to FloSports at www.flosports.tv/gulfsouth.  The membership will include:

FIRST THURSDAY
The Blazers open the season on a Thursday for the first time since 1993 and just the second time in school history.  It also marks the first Thursday game VSU for since 2015 and 21st all-time.  VSU is 13-9 all-time on games not played on Saturday and is 12-8 on games on Thursday.  VSU is 6-4 at home on Thursdays and 0-1 on Fridays, while it is 6-4 on the road on Thursdays and 1-0 on the road on Mondays.  VSU has outscored its opposition 679-532 on non-Saturday games and 626-485 on Thursdays.  There has been one playoff game on a non-Saturday as West Georgia won in Valdosta on Friday, Dec. 5, 2014, 31-17.  VSU is 3-0 on non-Saturday games in September, while it is 6-6 in October, 4-2 in November and 0-1 in December.
 
40TH YEAR OF BLAZER FOOTBALL
The 2022 season marks the 40th playing season of Blazer football.  The program is 316-129-4 all-time (.708) and has just four losing seasons in the history of the program.  VSU has 32 winning seasons and has won double-digit games 12 times, including a school-record 14 victories in 2002 and 2018.  The Blazers have won four national championships and appeared in six national title games - all since 2002.  The Blazers are 29-14 all-time in the NCAA postseason in 18 apperances as the four national titles are tied with Grand Valley State for third-most in NCAA Division II history and tie for second among active Division II programs (Northwest Missouri State, 6).  The 29 NCAA postseason victories are good for fifth-most all-time in D2 and third-most among active D2 members (Northwest Missouri State, 52 / Grand Valley State, 36).  
 
FOR OPENERS
The Blazers are 27-12 all-time in season-openers and have won three-straight, including a 53-7 victory in 2021 in Valdosta.  VSU is 16-4 in home games to open the season and have won its last five openers in Valdosta.  Keiser is the 14th different school to open versus Valdosta State in Blazer history.  VSU has outscored the opposition 1,045 to 557 in season-openers for an average of 26.8 points per game to 14.3 points per game.
 
COACH TREMAINE JACKSON SHOW(S)
The Coach Tremaine Jackson Show will be available each Sunday at vstateblazers.com on the football page throughout the season as it will include interviews from Jackson, select players and highlights from the previous game.  Spencer Van Horn and Dave Garner host the show throughout the season and Jamie Abbott of Crashandannie Productions directs and produces the show.  Also returning this season is the Monday evening radio show at Salty Snapper from 7-8 p.m.  Coach Jackson will break down the previous game with Matt Malone - Assistant Athletic Director for Development hosting.  Jackson and Malone will recap the previous week and preview the next game. The Tremaine Jackson Show will begin Monday, August 29 and will be broadcast on 105.9 FM WVGA in Valdosta.
 
Cross Country
VSU Border Clash, Sept. 2, 6:20 p.m. (M) / 7 p.m. (W) – Freedom Park, Valdosta, Ga. - Live Stream
 
The Valdosta State men and women's cross country team is set to begin the 2022 season by hosting the VSU Border Clash at Freedom Park on Sept. 2.  The men's cross country race is set to begin at 6:20 p.m., while the women are slated to begin at 7 p.m.  
 
Last season, the men's cross country team took third place in the Border Clash, as senior Brishen House finished 11th overall with a time of 24:02.1.  
 
The women's team finished fourth last season in the Border clash as sophomore Kyleigh Rice came in seventh, 41st overall, with a time of 21:44. 
 
The Border Clash features 13 teams including; Albany State (M/W), Daytona State College (M/W), Edward Waters (M/W), Flagler (M), Florida Gateway College (W), FSCJ (Jacksonville) (M/W), Georgia Southern (W), Jacksonville (M/W), Lynn (M/W), Pensacola State College (W), Tampa (W) and Thomas University (M/W).  
 
Fans can access a live stream of the meet, directions to Freedom Park and more at vstateblazers.com on the men's and women's cross country schedule pages.  Check back with the site for complete results and recaps of the races Friday evening. 
 
The men were picked seventh in the 2022 Gulf South Conference Preseason Coaches poll, while the women were picked sixth.   
 
Head coach Todd Smoot welcomes back eight returners to the men's roster, including sophomore Alec Munger, junior Austin Sekowski, and seniors Braedonn Bensley, Charlie Eaton, Brishen House, Logan Kraus, Adam Mastrobuono and Dalton Pender.   Smoot also brings in three new freshmen in Matthew Herndon, River Livingston and Gavin Sadowski.  
 
For the women, Smoot welcomes back juniors Jaycie Anderson and Kyleigh Rice to the roster in addition to sophomore Caitlyn Koske. Smoot also welcomes three new faces, including freshmen Passion Leggett and Emily Phillips and junior Katie Lacroix, who came to Titletown from Brevard College.