VALDOSTA, Ga. – For the first time in the young season, the Valdosta State athletic department doesn't have a home contest this week as volleyball, women's soccer, football and the cross country teams all are on the road this week.
 
The Blazer volleyball team opens Gulf South Conference play Tuesday at West Florida at 7 p.m. ET, while it then will travel to Carrollton, Ga., for a matchup with rival West Georgia on Saturday at 1 p.m.  The women's soccer team continues league play at West Florida on Friday (7 p.m. ET) and then at Spring Hill College on Sunday (2 p.m. ET).  Coming off record-setting performances at the Border Clash on Sept. 2, the Blazer men's and women's cross country teams head to Tallahassee, Fla., for the Pre-NAIA Nationals Event hosted by Thomas University at Apalachee Regional Park, Saturday morning.  That evening, the Blazer football team looks to get back on the winning track as it travels to Miles College for a 7 p.m. kick Saturday in Fairfield, Ala.  
 
Volleyball 

 
The Valdosta State volleyball team is set to open GSC action at No. 8 West Florida on Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. ET in Pensacola, and then will travel back to Carrollton, Ga. for a match against West Georgia on Sept. 17 at 1 p.m.   
 
The Blazers enter the week with a 6-7 record and are coming off the Peach Belt/ Gulf South Crossover last week. The Blazers defeated Georgia College 3-1 to open the crossover and fell in heartbreaking fashion to USC Aiken and Augusta University in five-setters, 3-2.


This season, the Blazers have recorded 547 kills, 716 digs, 94 blocks and 108 service aces. The Blazers are hitting .179 on the year and are averaging 2.4 aces per set and 2.1 blocks per set.  
 
The Blazers currently lead the league in total blocks, total attacks, team service aces which are good for fourth nationally, and team digs. Sophomore Lyara Rosario leads the team in aces with a league-high 32, good for second nationally, while sophomore Christina Pettigrew leads the GSC in total blocks with 49.  
 
Graduate Mallory Roney has a team-high 126 kills on the year and is hitting .279 while sophomore Jojo Smith has 121 kills on the year. On defense, Rosario has a team-high 204 digs and has a .978 receiving percentage while Pettigrew leads the team in blocks.  
 
The Argos enter Tuesday's match with an 8-3 record, with their only losses are to Wayne State College, Regis and Lewis. The Argos currently lead the GSC in kills with 561, assists with 529 which is good for 10^th nationally, aces per set with 1.61 and kills per set with 13.68.  
 
Jenna Zydlo currently leads the GSC with a team-high .451 hitting percentage for the Argos while Taylor Vaneekeren leads the GSC in assists with a team-high 432.  
 
For the Wolves, UWG enters the week with a 6-5 record and will face Auburn Montgomery on Sept. 13 and West Florida on Sept. 16 before the match against the Blazers on Sept. 17.  
 
The Wolves have recorded 486 kills on the year along with 667 digs, 79.5 blocks and 88 aces. Emilee Harris currently leads the Wolves' offense with 114 kills, while Sydney Blackmon has a team-high 178 digs on defense. Sanai Young leads the Wolves in blocks with 36 while two UWG players have 20 service aces on the season.  
 
Following the matches with West Florida and West Georgia, the Blazers will return home to host Union on Sept. 23 at 6 p.m. and then Christian Brothers on Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. inside the Complex.  
 
Women's Soccer

 
The Blazers enter with a 1-2-1 record overall and an 0-1 mark in Gulf South Conference play after a 2-0 loss to West Georgia on Sunday.  The Blazers have not scored a goal since the 43:10 mark of a 2-2 tie at Emmanuel College on Sept. 4.  Since then, VSU has been outscored 6-0, with a late goal from Emmanuel, a 3-0 loss at Embry-Riddle last Thursday and the 2-0 setback on Sunday for a game time of 226:50. 
 
For the season, the Blazers are led by senior Amber Saunders with two goals on the year as she has six shots and four on target.  Sophomore Ansley Decenzo has one goal on the year on three shots with one on goal, while senior Hannah Schroeder also has one goal and one game winner.  Senior Morghan Craven, sophomore Taylor Morris and senior Samantha Worley each have an assist for the season.
 
As a team, the Blazers have scored four goals, allowed seven, while registering 45 shots and 20 on target.  In goal, sophomore Emma Pruett has played all 360 minutes allowing seven goals for a 1.75 goals against average.  She has 11 saves for a .611 average and is 1-2-1 on the year with one shutout.
 
Nationally speaking, the Blazers are 13^th nationally and lead the GSC in corner kicks per game at a 7.25 clip, while they are second in the GSC and 17^th nationally in fouls per game at a 5.25 clip.  
 
West Florida enters with a 3-2-1 record and a 1-1 mark in the GSC after winning 2-0 at Alabama Huntsville and then dropping a 1-0 decision at West Alabama on Sunday.  The Tigers scored the lone goal of the match just 11:15 into the contest.  UWA goalkeeper Maria Mon stopped five shots to preserve the clean sheet.  
 
The Argos were picked second in the GSC Preseason Coaches Poll and had three players named to the all-preseason team in Blair Cowan, Destiny Hird and Charline Favier.  Cowan leads the team this season with three goals on 12 shots and six on target with one game winner and she is 2 for 2 in penalty kicks.  Brianna Pope is second in scoring with two goals on 11 shots with seven on frame.  In goal, Mia Ferkranus and Maciah Lipsey each have seen time between the pipes.  Ferkranus is 1-0 with one shutout and one combined shutout in two games with two saves, while Lipsey is 2-2-1 with two goals against and 11 saves for a 0.63 goals against average.  She has two shutouts with one combined shutout.  
 
UWF leads the all-time series 10-1-4, including a 2-1 victory in the NCAA postseason at Embry-Riddle last season.  VSU's victory in the series came in the Gulf South Conference postseason tournament in 2014.  The Argos have won six of the last eight matches with two ties, including last season during the regular season in Valdosta.  In 2021, the teams met three times, once in the regular season, conference tournament and NCAA postseason.
 
The Badgers enter with a 0-4-1 record overall and a 0-1-1 mark in league play.  This past weekend, SHC lost 7-0 at West Alabama and tied at Alabama-Huntsville, 1-1.  Spring Hill College is scheduled to host West Georgia on Friday, before entertaining the Blazers Sunday.  
 
SHC is led this season by Ashley Drennon who had one goal on four shots with three on frame, while Haven Nail also has scored one goal with four shots and three on target.  Thyri Willumsdottir has two assists for the season as well.  In goal, both Anna Brunner and Carlotta Stark have seen time.  Stark is 0-4-1 with 20 goals against for a 4.24 goals against average and 27 saves.  
 
VSU lead the all-time series with Spring Hill College, 5-0-2.  The Blazers won 4-0 in Valdosta last season and have won four-straight in the series – not allowing a goal during that span (17-0).  This is the fourth meeting in Mobile between the two teams with VSU leading 1-0-2.  
 
Men's and Women's Cross Country
The Blazer men's and women's cross country teams are set to race at the Pre-NAIA XC Nationals, hosted by Thomas University, in Tallahassee, Fla. on Sept. 17.  The men's race is set to begin at 7:30 a.m. while the women's race will begin at 8 a.m. at Apalachee Regional Park.  
 
Meet Information Page
 
Schedule 
7:30 a.m. College Men's 8000M
8:00 a.m. College Women's 5000M
9:00 a.m. College Awards 
 
Awards 
Team - Top 3 Male and Female Teams 
Individual - Top 10 Male and Female Finishers  
 
The Course  
The course at Apalachee Regional Park is designed specifically for cross country and includes a fixed finish line arch, operations building and permanent awards stage with a pristine, multi-surface course that winds through rolling hills, low-lands and pine forests.  
 
The men's cross country team is coming off a solid showing at the VSU Border Clash on Sept. 2, taking fourth place overall with a total time of 1:48:37 and 168 points. Senior Brishen House, last week's GSC Runner of the Week, took home first place overall while breaking Valdosta State's record at the Border Clash with a PR time of 23:30.4.  
 
Senior Logan Kraus also passed the school's record with a time of 23:51.7 and came in eighth place overall. Previously, Nick Flatt held the record as he ran a 23:57.7 in last year's Border Clash.   
 
For the women's cross country team, sophomore Caitlyn Koske, finished the race as the top finisher for the Blazers with a PR time of 19:46.7. Junior Kyleigh Rice finished the race with a PR time of 21:01 while junior Katie LaCroix, who completed her first ever 5K, finished just behind Rice with a time of 21:03.7.   
 
Football