VALDOSTA, Ga.- Coming off the back of a perfect 5-0 week, the Valdosta State volleyball team (15-8, 9-4 GSC) is back in action at The Complex for a slate of premiere matchups, kicking off with Gulf South Conference-leader West Florida on Tuesday night at 6 p.m.
 
All the Blazer volleyball action will be available on vstateblazers.com where links can be found for live stats and streaming. Video streaming is offered through FloSports with a paid subscription. For more information on how to subscribe and watch nearly every Valdosta State athletic event, see here.
 
The Blazers went on a tear last week, going a perfect 5-0 against the likes of Auburn Montgomery, Union and Christian Brothers. VSU began its week at The Complex on Tuesday night, making quick work of AUM in three-sets before hitting the road for an extended weekend. The Blazers kicked off their four-game road trip at Union where they fought back to take a five-set battle on Friday morning before turning around and knocking down the Lady Bulldogs in four sets, 3-1. Valdosta State kept the train rolling heading into Memphis, scoring a quick three-set sweep over Christian Brothers on Saturday before capping off the week with a gritty 3-2 victory over the Lady Bucs on Sunday.
 
For the week, the dynamic duo of seniors Mackenzie Murray and Christina Pettigrew led the Blazers with the pair accounting for 132 of the team's 254 kills (51.9%) over the stretch. Murray led the team with 69 kills on a .331 hitting percentage, reaching a career-high 21 kills in the five-set victory over CBU on Sunday. The Dripping Springs, Texas native recorded double-digit kills in every match last week while tallying 10 blocks, six digs and an assist over the stretch. Meanwhile, Pettigrew hit a team-best .384 on 63 kills while tacking on a team-best 19 blocks including five solo rejections. The Copperas Cove, Tex. native recorded eight service aces, 20 digs and four assists. Pettigrew also reached another career milestone this season, tallying her 500th career block in the 3-2 win at Christian Brothers to earn both 1000 career kills and 500 career blocks within nine days of each other.
 
For the season, the collective trio of seniors Jojo Smith, Christina Pettigrew and Mackenzie Murray have led the Blazer offensive attack with Smith in front of the pack at 243 kills on the year. Meanwhile, Pettigrew leads the team in hitting percentage at .291 with 224 kills while Murray trails just behind Smith with 234 kills this season. Pettigrew leads the charge for the Blazer defense at the net with a team-high 59 blocks this season, including 24 solo blocks while junior Katie Callenberger just passed 50 blocks on the year with 51 total. The duo of setters in senior Audrey Bennett (572 assists) and redshirt-freshman Avery Mullins (287 assists) have combined for 859 assists, keeping the VSU offense rolling. Senior Kaia Baker has kept points alive for the Blazers, sitting at first in the GSC in digs with 424 while also ranking first in digs per set at 4.99 a frame.
 
West Florida returns to The Complex with a 17-5 overall record and a perfect 12-0 mark in the GSC. The Argonauts are riding high, currently on a 12-match winning streak, defeating every team in the conference that they have faced to this point. The Argos are led by veteran head coach Melissa Wolter who has a 534-166 record in 23 seasons as the face of the program. UWF bolsters a 36-6 record over VSU since 2001 with the Argos most recently downing the Blazers in three sets in Pensacola on Sept. 24, 2024.
 
Individually, setter Gabi Moulton runs the Argonaut offense with a conference-high 848 assists for 10.60 assists per frame. She also has the only triple-double in the GSC this season, recording 10 kills, 11 digs and 42 assists against Wheeling on Sept. 6. Meanwhile, Jenna Zydio leads the Argos in offensive production with a team-high 195 kills while hitting a league-best .359. Zydio also ranks tenth in the GSC in blocks with 52 total on the year while Meg Brackham ranks fifth in the conference in digs with 298.
 
Following the mid-week matchup with the Argos, Valdosta State volleyball team will continue its home stand against Montevallo on Friday night at 6 p.m. before closing out the week with a showdown against Alabama Huntsville on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. For more information on those matchups, make sure to visit vstateblazers.com and head to the volleyball schedule page.