Blazer Volleyball sinks the Buccaneers, 3-1
 
MEMPHIS, Tenn.- The Valdosta State volleyball team defeated Christian Brothers 3-1 (23-25, 25-16, 25-17, 25-18) on Friday night, kicking off the weekend road trip with a hard-fought win in Memphis.
 
With the win, VSU improved to 12-6 with a 4-2 mark in the Gulf South Conference while CBU fell to 2-15 overall and 1-5 in conference play.
 
Match Information: Valdosta State at Christian Brothers
Score: VSU 3, CBU 1 (23-25, 25-16, 25-17, 25-18)
Records: VSU (12-6, 4-2 GSC) , CBU (2-15, 1-5 GSC)
Location: Memphis, Tenn. (Canale Arena)
 
First Set:
The first set of the match kicked off with the Blazers and Buccaneers trading blows back and forth until the set became all knotted up at 8-8. VSU then began to pull away, going on a 7-4 run to go up 15-12. Down the stretch, the Buccaneers continued to fight to get back in the set, but the Blazers continued to stay a couple of points ahead of them. However, Christian Brothers did not stay down for long as three straight kills from the Buccaneers tied the set up late at 22-22. CBU ended up closing the set on a 3-1 run to take an early match lead, 25-23.
 
Second Set:
In the second set, Valdosta State Rushed out to a 6-2 lead following a put-back kill from junior Audrey Bennett. The Blazers continued to build their lead, going on a 3-2 run to go up by five, 9-4. Following a CBU timeout, the Buccaneers struck back with three-straight points, but the Blazers began to pull away, scoring four unanswered to go up by six, 13-7. VSU ended up building a double-digit lead, going up 22-12 on a 9-5 run. Christian Brothers ended up scoring four more, but the Blazer lead was too much to overcome as VSU took the second set, 25-16.
 
Third Set:
Set three began with VSU and CBU trading points back and forth until the set was tied up at 7-7. In a flash, the Blazers built up a three-point lead following a kill from sophomore Gaby Ortiz, 13-10. Valdosta State continued to add on to its lead, amassing a five point lead later in the set after a service ace from junior Christina Pettigrew put the Blazers up 20-15. The Blazers closed out the set on a 5-2 run to take the third set 25-17 and gain match advantage, 2-1.
 
Fourth Set:
The Blazers and Buccaneers traded blows back and forth to begin the fourth set. Once the dust settled, the score was tied at 8-8 before VSU tallied four unanswered points to take a narrow 12-8 lead. Valdosta State then scored six unanswered points to go up by eight, 16-8. However, the Buccaneers fought back, outsourcing the Blazers 6-1 to bring the set closer at 17-14. With Christian Brothers chipping away at the VSU lead, the Blazers answered back on a 8-4 run to close out the set and the match with a 25-18 victory.
 
Inside the Numbers:

 
Up Next:
The Blazers will close out their weekend road trip on Saturday when they face Union at 2 p.m. in Jackson, Tenn. For everything Valdosta State volleyball, visit vstateblazers.com and go to the volleyball schedule page.