VALDOSTA, Ga.- The Valdosta State volleyball team looks to close out a four-game road stint when it heads to Christian Brothers on Friday at 7 p.m. ET before taking on Union on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.
 
VSU (11-6, 3-2 GSC) went 1-2 last week when it kicked off the week with a 3-1 victory over Albany State at home. The Blazers then began their two-week, four-game road trip with a pair of Gulf South Conference matchups as they faced Montevallo on Friday and Alabama Huntsville on Saturday. Montevallo defeated Valdosta State 3-1 on Friday evening before UAH downed the Blazers 3-1 on Saturday afternoon. The pair of losses marked the first two defeats for the Blazers in the GSC this season.
 
For the week, junior Mackenzie Murray led the Blazers in kills with 39 while junior Jojo Smith tallied 33 and junior Christina Pettigrew tacked on 32. Smith also recorded her sixth and seventh double-doubles of the season against Albany State (12 kills and 18 digs) and Montevallo (13 kills and 15 digs). Junior Audrey Bennett had 118 assists, tallying a season-high 50 against the Golden Rams. Pettigrew led VSU in blocks with a total of 12 rejections for the week while Smith added nine. Smith also had 45 total digs for the Blazers over the three-game stretch.
 
For the season, the Blazers are fourth nationally and first in the GSC in total attacks (2,561), while the team is second nationally and first in the league in total blocks with 159.5. Valdosta State also ranks 15th nationally and first in the conference in attacks per set, averaging 38.80 attacks a set. VSU is sixth nationally in digs for first in the GSC (1,146), while the team is 21st in assists, which is good for second in the league (740).  VSU is second in the GSC and 14^th nationally in total kills with 830.
 
Individually, Pettigrew is fifth nationally and first in the GSC in total blocks with 75 and is sixth in the GSC in points per set at a 3.40 clip. Murray is second in the GSC and 58th nationally in total kills (198), while also ranking third in the conference in total attacks with 539. Graduate student Mallory Roney is first in the league and sixth nationally in-service aces (38) while also being first in the GSC in aces per set (0.58). Meanwhile, Bennett is third in the conference in assists with 457 assists for the year.
 
Christian Brothers enter the week 2-14 overall and 1-4 in GSC play. The Buccaneers come into the matchup on a three-game losing stretch after falling to West Florida on Sept. 30, 3-0. In conference play, the Buccaneers have losses to Union, West Florida, Mississippi College and Auburn Montgomery while their one win comes against West Alabama. The Blazers hold a 6-4 advantage over the Buccaneers in their last 10 matchups with VSU winning the last four matchups since October 1, 2021. In the most recent matchup on October 28, 2022, VSU defeated CBU 3-0, in Memphis, Tenn. while hitting an impressive .333 for the match.
 
Union enters the week with a 3-14 record with a 2-3 stint in Gulf South Conference play. Before taking on the Blazers, the Bulldogs have a match with West Georgia on Friday night. Union also enters the weekend with a three-game losing streak after dropping a 0-3 decision to AUM on Sept. 30 in Montgomery, Ala. In the last 10 matches, the Blazers and Bulldogs are even at 5-5 while Union has won the last four matches since Oct. 2, 2021.
 
The Blazers are set to return home next weekend when they host Mississippi College on Friday at 6 p.m. and West Alabama on Saturday at 1 p.m. For more live stats, streaming information and all things Valdosta State volleyball, visit vstateblazers.com and go to the volleyball web page.