VALDOSTA, Ga. – Due to the devastation from Hurricane Milton in Florida, the Valdosta State women's basketball regional crossover has been moved from Eckerd College to The Complex and will be Nov. 7-8.  
 
Eckerd and West Florida are set for a 5 p.m. tip on Thursday, Nov. 7, followed by VSU versus Palm Beach Atlantic at 7 p.m.  On Friday, Nov. 8, West Florida will face Palm Beach Atlantic at 1 p.m., while VSU will battle Eckerd at 5 p.m.  
 
The men's regional crossover, which originally was scheduled to be in Valdosta, begins Nov. 8 inside The Complex with West Florida facing Clark Atlanta at 3 p.m., and the Blazer men versus Fort Valley State at 7 p.m.  The men's crossover finishes on Saturday, Nov. 9, with West Florida and Fort Valley State playing at 3 p.m., followed by VSU versus Clark Atlanta at 5 p.m.
 
The Lady Blazers were picked third in the preseason Gulf South Conference poll as senior Victoria Ikenasio earned all-league preseason honors.  The Lady Blazers are the defending Gulf South Conference champions from 2023-24 after going 30-3 overall and 23-1 in GSC play, while the team hosted its first NCAA South Regional in program history.  The 30 wins tied the school-record for victories in a season.  The Lady Blazers are under the direction of new head coach Chandler Merkerson and welcome back a number of familiar faces, including Ikenasio who played in 30 games with 28 starts and averaged 8.6 points per game and a team-high 5.7 rebounds per game for the Lady Blazers.  Ikenasio went 112 of 231 from the field (.485).  She tallied 27 assists with 12 steals and a team-high 18 blocks.  She had 12 games in double figures and recorded one double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds against Alabama Huntsville (Mar. 2). 
 
Along with Ikenasio, seniors, India Jordan, Jacey Justice and Courtney Stothard, along with sophomore Erin Whalen.  Merkerson has eight newcomers, including seniors Kiersten Nelson and Jillian Schenk, along with junior Aryana Hicks who were named to the GSC Newcomer Watchlist.  
 
The Blazers were picked fifth in the preseason poll and are under the direction of 20^th-year head coach Mike Helfer as he welcomes a number of new players for the season.  The Blazers had three players named to the GSC Newcomer Watchlist in Carlos Hart, MJ Jones and Drew Mills.  Hart joins the red and black from Division I University of New Orleans, where the Miami, Fla., native played in 32 games while starting in five. Hart averaged 18.3 minutes per game and scored 6.7 points per contest. Defensively, the guard tallied 20 steals and 11 blocks for the Privateers.  
 
Jones comes to Titletown from Shelton State Community College. The Pelham, Ala., native lit it up for the Bucs in 2023-24, as he put up 14.5 points a night on .431/.396/.815 clip in 27 starts while nearly averaging two steals a game.  Mills joins the Blazers from Howard Community College in Columbia, Md. The forward started in 57 of 60 games across two seasons, as Mills averaged 15.2 PPG on .499 from the floor. The Baltimore, Md., native has been known to attack the glass as he averaged 7.6 rebounds over his two-year career. Last season, Mills was a defensive menace, averaging 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals a night for the Dragons.
 
Season tickets are on sale now, please call 229-333-SEAT (7328).  Click here to purchase or renew your season tickets. The renewal deadline for season ticket holders is Nov. 8. Season tickets must be picked up in-person at the VSU ticket office, located inside The Complex on 1500 N Patterson Street.