MEMPHIS, Tenn.- The Valdosta State volleyball team resumed its perfect Tennessee weekend road trip on Saturday afternoon when it defeated Christian Brothers in three-sets to improve to an undefeated 4-0 on the week. With one final showdown against Christian Brothers set for Sunday afternoon, the Blazers will look to achieve a perfect 5-0 record for the week.
 
Match Information: Valdosta State at Christian Brothers (Match #1)
Score: VSU 3 , CBU 0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-13)
Records: VSU (14-8, 8-4 GSC), CBU (6-16, 2-10 GSC)
Location: Canale Arena (Memphis, Tenn.)
 
First Set:
Valdosta State was off to the races in the opening frame of the contest as the Blazers rushed out to an 8-1 lead in a hurry with junior Sabrina Oncins capping off the early run with a service ace. The Blazers maintained their lead on a 6-4 run which was regulated by the senior trio of Jojo Smith, Christina Pettigrew and Mackenzie Murray collecting four collective kills, 14-5. Following Christian Brothers' second timeout, the Lady Bucs gained momentum on a 8-4 spurt that brought CBU within five of the Blazer lead, 18-13. The Lady Bucs continued to find their footing offensively, cutting the VSU lead to just four following a Blazer attack error, 21-17. VSU ended up forcing match point at 24-17, scoring three uncontested points before Christian Brothers stormed back on a 3-0 rally to make the frame interesting at 24-20. VSU called a timeout to gather their bearings, allowing just one more CBU point before Smith ended the set on a decisive kill, 25-21.
 
Second Set:
The Blazers looked to pick up where they left off in the first set, building a 5-1 lead in a hurry on a pair of kills from both Pettigrew and Murray. VSU extended its lead to six at 8-2 following a kill from Smith before CBU called its first timeout of the frame. Out of the break, The Blazers continued to roll, increasing their lead to eight at 12-4 before Christian Brothers stuck back on a 6-2 run to pull the Lady Bucs back into the contest at 14-10. With Christian Brothers coming within striking distance, the Blazers pieced together an uncontested 5-0 run, capped off by another ace from Oncins, 19-10. Following a CBU timeout, the Lady Bucs put together one final 5-3 run to come within seven of the VSU lead, 22-15. Christian Brothers managed to score one more point before Smith, Murray and junior Katie Callenberger closed out the set with a trio of kills, 25-16.
 
Third Set:
Christian Brothers opened up the third set, striking first before the Blazers responded back with a massive 8-0 run to take a sizable 8-1 lead. However, the Blazers were not out of the woods yet as the Lady Bucs went on a 5-3 run to come within five of the VSU lead, 11-6. Christian Brothers continued to chip away at the Blazer lead with a VSU service error pulling the Lady Bucs within four points of Valdosta State, 14-10. The Blazers ended up building some distance as a service ace from Pettigrew forced a CBU timeout with VSU up six, 18-12. Out of the break CBU managed to tally one more kill before the Blazers went on a match-ending 7-0 run which included three kills from Smith and pair of service aces from redshirt-freshman Avery Mullins, 25-13.
 
Inside the Numbers:

 
Up Next:
The Blazers will square off with Christian Brothers just one final time on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET before returning home for a full week of matchups, kicking off with West Florida on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. For more information on the upcoming week of matchups, visit vstateblazers.com and head to the volleyball schedule page.