VALDOSTA, Ga.- The Valdosta State volleyball team defeated Coastal Georgia 3-1 (25-27, 25-16, 25-15, 25-16) to a packed Complex Tuesday night. Tuesday evening's game marks the biggest crowd at The Complex with 403 in attendance since October 20, 2015's match against West Florida with 443 in the stands.

Match Information:
Score: Valdosta State 3, Coastal Georgia 1 (25-27, 25-16, 25-15, 25-16)
Records: VSU (3-1), CG (2-3)
Location: Valdosta, Ga.
  
First Set:
The first set started off slow for the Blazers as a Coastal Georgia kill from Raevyn Russell capitalized a 8-4 run for the Mariners. However, VSU fought from behind, going on a 5-0 run to take the lead 9-8. The Mariners tacked on two more points to take the lead but another 4-0 rally from the Blazers put Valdosta State right back in front 13-10. The Mariners then struck back with a 5-0 run of their own to take the two point lead, 15-13. A service ace from junior Kaia Baker headlined a four-point run for VSU to go in front, 17-15. As the battle of back and forth rallies continued, Coastal Georgia went back in front after a kill from Sydney Martin put the Mariners up, 18-17. As the set came down to the wire, the Blazers and Mariners traded points back and forth until Coastal Georgia went on a three point run, down 25-24, to ultimately take set one win, 27-25.
 
Second Set:
The Blazers opened set two on a dominant 6-0 start following a service ace from graduate student Mallory Roney. The Mariners started to battle back, slowly chipping away at the VSU lead until the Blazers crafted another 6-0 run to go up 12, 19-7. Not out of the set just yet, the Mariners fought back, bringing the match to an eight-point game with Valdosta State up 22-14. The Blazers finished up the match on a 3-2 run as a kill from Roney sealed the game, 25-16. Valdosta State had an impressive 15 kills with only four errors, hitting .306 for the set.
 
Third Set:
Much like the second set, the Blazers rushed out to a 5-0 lead following a stellar kill from junior Jojo Smith. The Mariners then went on a 3-0 run which was quickly countered by a VSU 3-0 run as the Blazers led 8-3. For much of the remainder of the match the Blazers and Mariners traded a point or two back and forth, but the early Valdosta State lead prevailed as a kill from junior Audrey Bennett sealed the Blazers set three victory, 25-15. The Blazers scored a total of 13 kills with only three errors in set three to hit a staggering .370 for the set.
 
Fourth Set:
In what would be the final set of the match, Valdosta State got out to a 9-3 lead after junior Christina Pettigrew got the Blazer offense going with back-to-back kills at the beginning of the set. The Blazers and Mariners traded three points back and forth before the Mariners went on a 8-6 run to come within four of the Valdosta State lead, 15-11. With the Mariners closing in, VSU went on a 5-0 rally, including two points courtesy of back-to-back kills from junior Mackenzie Murray, 20-11. With Coastal Georgia on a 5-4 run, Murray closed out the game with a match-ending kill to take the set and the match, 25-16.The Blazers finished the set with 13 kills with no errors to hit .361 for the set.
 
Inside the Numbers:
The Blazers finished the match with 54 kills and 14 errors as the team hit .292 for the match. Coastal Georgia recorded 32 kills with 28 miscues, hitting .031 for the match. Pettigrew led the match in kills with 15 while Bennett recorded a game-high 26 assists. Coastal Georgia had seven kills from Russell while Rebecca Brown had a team-high 12 assists.
 
Up Next:
Valdosta State is set to host the Blazer Volleyball Fall Tournament this weekend, from Friday, September 8 to Saturday, September 9. The tournament consists of five teams including Saint Leo, Coker, Spring Hill College, Young Harris College and the hosting Blazers. On Friday, VSU takes on Saint Leo at 1 p.m. and Coker at 7 p.m. The Blazers then face Young Harris on Saturday at 1 p.m. before closing out the tournament against Spring Hill at 7 p.m. For more information on Valdosta State volleyball and the upcoming Blazer Fall Tournament, visit vstateblazers.com and go to the volleyball schedule page.