VALDOSTA, Ga.- Blazer football graduate student Nick Jackson and VSU volleyball junior Audrey Bennett were named Steel's Jewelry Athletes of the Week. This is the first Steel's Jewelry Athlete of the Week award for both Jackson and Bennett this season.
 
Jackson, a Valdosta native, was instrumental in the Valdosta State 28-3 win over North Greenville in its conference opener.  He finished with a team-high eight total tackles, including six solo stops, while also recording one pass breakup. The Blazers defensive, led by Jackson, stymied the Crusaders to just 221 passing yards and 112 rushing yards for the game, while holding NGU 0-for-3 in the red zone. Jackson was also named GSC Defensive Player of the Week for his productive game, marking the third time the Blazer football team have earned a weekly conference award this season.
 
For the season, Jackson is tied for third on the team in tackles with 13, while he is third in solo tackles with ten.  Jackson has one pass breakup for the season.  He and the Blazer "D" are 14^th nationally in scoring defense (13.5) to lead the GSC, while they are 32^nd nationally in total defense at 283.2 yards per game for second in the league.  VSU is 37^th nationally in rushing defense at 97.5 yards allowed on the ground per game, while the opposition is held to 185.8 yards per game through the air.  VSU leads the league in first downs allowed (60) for 37^th nationally. 
 
Bennett had an excellent week for the Blazer volleyball team, playing in 12 total sets in three matches. The Lenexa, Kansas native had an impressive 112 assists for 9.33 assists per set, setting up multiple Blazers for offensive success. She tallied 10 kills for the week with only one error while delivering four service aces with two miscues on 37 attempts for a .946 percentage. Defensively, Bennett had 31 digs and four total blocks for the week. Her best game came on Sept. 23 in the 3-2 comeback win against Lee when she tallied seven total kills, a match-high 48 assists, three blocks and two service aces.
 
For the year, Bennett has recorded a team-high 339 assists, accounting for over half of the Blazers' 606 total assists this season. Her 339 assists mark second in the GSC while she averages 6.28 assists per set for third in the league. Bennett also has 50 kills for the year with only nine miscues for a .234 percentage and four total service aces. Defensively, she has 30 blocks and 56 digs so far this season.
 
Jackson and the Blazer football team (4-0, 1-0 GSC) return to the road this Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. in Murfreesboro, N.C., battling Chowan. Meanwhile, Bennett and the VSU volleyball team (10-4, 3-0 GSC) host Albany State Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. in The Complex before hitting the road to face GSC-foes Montevallo and Alabama Huntsville this weekend. The Blazers will take on Montevallo on Friday evening at 7 p.m. ET and Alabama Huntsville at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon. For more information on all things Blazer athletics, visit vstateblazers.com.