VALDOSTA, Ga.- The Valdosta State volleyball team looks to continue its hot start in the Gulf South Conference when it heads to Montevallo on Friday at 7 p.m. ET before taking on Alabama Huntsville on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.
 
VSU (11-4, 3-0 GSC) recently closed out a three-game home stretch when it defeated Albany State 3-1 on Tuesday evening.  VSU hit .222 for the match with 62 kills and 25 errors in 167 swings while ASU hit .107 with 37 kills and 20 errors in 159 attempts. With the win, the Blazers claimed the best 15-game start for the team since 2015, touting an 11-4 record.
 
For the match, junior Mackenzie Murray led three Blazers in double-digit kills with 17 while junior Jojo Smith tallied 12 and junior Christina Pettigrew tacked on 11. Smith also recorded her sixth double-double of the season, scoring a match-high 18 digs along with 12 kills. Junior Audrey Bennett had a season-high 50 assists, recording 50 of the Blazers' 51 total assists for the match. Smith also had three total blocks while Bennett and Pettigrew each tallied one.
 
For the season, the Blazers are third nationally and first in the GSC in total attacks (2,275), while the team is second nationally and first in the league in total blocks with 136.5. Valdosta State also ranks 10th nationally and first in the conference in attacks per set, averaging 39.22 attacks a set. VSU is fifth nationally in digs for first in the GSC (1,014), while the team is 17th in assists, which is good for second in the league (657).  VSU is first in the GSC and eighth nationally in total kills with 740.
 
Individually, Pettigrew is fifth nationally and first in the GSC in total blocks with 64 and is sixth in the GSC in points per set at a 3.40 clip. Murray is second in the GSC and 48th nationally in total kills (159), while also ranking first in the conference in total attacks with 474. Graduate student Mallory Roney is first in the league and seventh nationally in-service aces (33) while also being first in the GSC in aces per set (0.57). Meanwhile, Bennett is second in the conference in assists with 389 assists for the year.
 
Montevallo enters the matchup 4-9 overall and 2-1 in conference play after defeating Shorter on the road, 3-2 Tuesday evening. The Falcons are led in kills by Macy Martin who has totaled 91 kills this season while Colton Thompson has tallied the most assists on UM's roster with 253. Defensively, Allie Dishman leads Montevallo in blocks with 25 total rejections while Casey Hendrixson has 143 digs on the year so far. The Falcons hold a 5-2 match advantage over the Blazers since 2017 as the Blazers have not won a match in Montevallo during that stretch.
 
Alabama Huntsville enters the week 6-4 overall and 2-1 in GSC play after dropping a 3-1 decision to Lee Tuesday evening. The Chargers are set take on West Georgia Friday night before the Blazers roll into town on Saturday. Individually, Autumn Mayes leads the Chargers on offense with 101 kills while Savannah Rutledge has a team-high 374 assists on the season. Defensively, Mary Grace Bundrant leads UAH in blocks with 43 while Tatiana Bonilla has a team-high 167 digs. Alabama Huntsville holds the all-time record against VSU, 28-22 as the Blazers last defeated the Chargers at home on Oct. 13, 2018.
 
The Blazers are set to return to the road next weekend when they face Christian Brothers and Union on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. ET and 3 p.m. For more live stats, streaming information and all things Valdosta State volleyball, visit vstateblazers.com and go to the volleyball web page.