VALDOSTA, Ga.- Coming off a 3-1 weekend in the Blazer Volleyball Fall Tournament, the Valdosta State volleyball team returns to the road this weekend as it travels to Augusta, Ga. for three matches.  The Blazers play Georgia College Friday, Sept. 15 at 10 a.m., followed by Augusta University at 12 p.m. On Saturday, Sept. 16, VSU will close out the tournament with a match against USC Aiken at 2 p.m.
 
The Blazers head into the weekend 6-2 on the year and these three matches are the final tune-up before Gulf South Conference play begins Tuesday evening with in-state rival West Georgia in Carrollton at 6 p.m. The match marks the first matchup of Red Clay Rivalry Series where VSU and UWG athletics compete for the overall 2023-34 season.
 
Going 2-0 on Friday, VSU defeated regional opponent, Saint Leo in a 3-1 decision on Friday where junior Jojo Smith led the Blazers with her first double-double of the year, delivering 11 kills and 10 digs. Later that day, the Blazers defeated Coker in a similar 3-1 result where Smith once again led the Blazers with her second double-double of the day scoring 12 kills and 17 digs.
 
On Saturday of the Blazer Volleyball Fall Tournament, VSU downed Young Harris College 3-0, but then dropped a hard-fought 3-1 decision to Spring Hill to conclude the tournament. VSU won the first set against the Badgers, but SHC battled back for a 29-27 victory to even the match and won 28-26 in the third set, before a 26-24 victory for the match.
 
Blazer volleyball junior Christina Pettigrew earned Gulf South Conference Player of the Week with her outstanding performances this past week.  Pettigrew, a Copperas Cove, Texas native, played in 19 sets for the week, helping VSU to a 4-1 record, including a 3-1 midweek victory over Coastal Georgia in the 2023 home-opener. She tallied 60 kills for 3.16 kills per set with only 10 attack errors, hitting a whopping .410 for the week. Defensively, she tallied 21 total blocks, six of them being solo blocks, along with 15 digs. She scored double digit kills in three matches last week with 15 against Coastal Georgia on Sept. 5, 14 against Coker on Sept. 8 and 13 against Spring Hill on Sept. 9.
 
Through eight total games in the season, Pettigrew has amassed 87 total kills with 24 attack errors for a team-high .335 percentage. Defensively, she leads the team in blocks with 36 total and nine solo. She also has seven service aces and 21 digs for the year.
 
For the season, VSU has 410 kills for a .209 hitting percentage in 1213 swings. The Blazers have 363 assists with 49 service aces, while recording 494 digs and 76 total blocks with 25 solo rejections.  Junior Mackenzie Murray leads the team with 93 kills, while Pettigrew is second with 87.  Junior Audrey Bennett leads the team with 177 assists on the year. Sophomore Gaby Ortiz has a team-high 112 digs on the year, while Pettigrew leads the team with 36 total and has nine solo blocks this season.

Georgia College enters the weekend with a perfect 8-0 record as VSU defeated the Bobcats in the last meeting on Sept. 9, 2022, 3-1 in Carrollton, Ga. Augusta University enters with a 6-3 record and has won its last five matches. The Jaguars won in the last meeting against the Blazers, Sept. 9, 2022, 3-2, in Carrollton Ga. USC Aiken enters with a 6-1 record on the year and won the last time the Blazers and Pacers met in a 3-2 USCA victory in Carrollton on Sept. 9, 2022.
 
After the weekend slate, the Blazers head to Carrollton, Ga. Tuesday 19, at 6 p.m., to face West Georgia, followed by a home match with Shorter on Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. For live stats, live streaming, and information on Blazer volleyball, visit vstateblazers.com or follow Blazer Athletics on social media for updates.