MONTEVALLO, Ala.- The Valdosta State volleyball team dropped a 3-1 (19-25, 12-25, 25-22, 19-25) decision to Montevallo on Friday evening in the first of two games on the road this weekend.
With the loss, the Blazers fell to 11-5 overall and 3-1 in Gulf South Conference play while the Falcons improved to 5-9 overall with a 3-1 mark in the conference.
Matchup Information: Valdosta State at Montevallo
Score: UM 3, VSU 1 (19-25, 12-25, 25-22, 19-25)
Records: UM (5-9, 3-1 GSC), VSU (11-5, 3-1 GSC)
Location: Montevallo, Ala. (Student Activity Center)
First Set:
The first set began routine for the Blazers as VSU edged out to a narrow 8-7 lead following a kill from junior
Mackenzie Murray. However, Montevallo popped off for a 6-0 run to take a five-point lead on VSU. The Blazers managed to pull back within striking distance, going on a 4-1 rally to come within two, 14-12. UM answered back with a 4-0 rally to go up by six before Valdosta State closed the gap once again with a 4-0 rally of its own, 18-16. The Falcons responded with a 3-0 stretch to go up by five as the Blazers scored three more points in the remainder of the set. Montevallo closed out the set on two Blazer attack errors as The Falcons took the first set, 25-19.
Second Set:
The Falcons continued to pick up where they left off in the last set, opening the match with a 7-2 rally out of the gate. The Blazers attempted to chip away, striking for one or two points here and there, but Montevallo continued to strike, going on runs of three or four to build their lead. By the end of the set, Montevallo gained match point on a 25-12 second set victory. UM hit an impressive .333 for the set with 10 kills and two errors in 24 swings while the Blazers had eight kills and seven miscues in 28 attempts for .036 percent.
Third Set:
Montevallo rushed out to a 4-0 lead to begin the third set. However, the Blazers muscled back to tie things up at 5-5 after going on a 5-1 rally. From there, UM and VSU continued to trade blows as UM went on a 3-0 run followed by VSU rallying for three of its own to knot things up at 8-8. The Falcons then took the lead on a 3-0 rally before the Blazers struck back with a 4-0 rally to snatch the lead, 12-11. Montevallo scored a point on a kill to tie things up at 12-12 as the Blazers scored two more to take the lead back 14-12. Down the stretch, the Blazers outscored the Falcons 6-4 to hold a narrow 20-16 lead over Montevallo. In the blink of an eye, the Falcons scored three-consecutive points to cut the Blazer lead to one, 20-19. However, the Blazers remained unfazed, always staying one point ahead of UM as they scored the final two points on kills from junior
Jojo Smith and graduate student
Mallory Roney to take the third set, 25-22. VSU had a total of 12 kills for the set with only three attack errors while UM had a match-high 16 kills but 10 mistakes, proving to be a big difference maker down the stretch.
Fourth Set:
UM looked to shut the door on any chance of a Blazer comeback at the beginning of the fourth set, racing out to a 10-5 lead in a flash. However, VSU was not ready to quit just yet, rallying for a 6-1 run to tie things up at 11-11. The Falcons ended up taking over the match from there, scoring three quick unanswered points to go up 14-11. From there, the Blazers continued to try and fight back into the match, but Montevallo had its foot on the pedal for the remainder of the match. The Falcons ended up outscoring the Blazers 11-8 on multiple rallies to take the set, 25-19, and the match, 3-1.
Inside the Numbers:
