PENSACOLA, Fla.- The Valdosta State volleyball team fell in the second round of the Gulf South Conference Tournament to conference-rival Lee in a five-set heartbreaker in Pensacola. With the loss, the Blazers will finish the season at 19-12 and 18-9 overall in conference tournament play. Meanwhile, Lee will advance to play top-seeded West Florida tomorrow afternoon.
 
Match Information: Valdosta State vs. Lee (GSC Tournament: Second Round)
Score: VSU 2, LEE 3 (25-21, 25-14, 21-25, 18-25, 11-15)
Records: VSU (19-12), LEE (19-15)
Location: Pensacola, Fla. (University of West Florida)
 
First Set:
The first set proved to be a battle between two teams who know each other very well. Early in the frame, the Blazers and Lady Flames went back-and-forth for control of the set until the contest came to a standstill at 9-9. Lee then began to nudge ahead on a 3-0 run on a pair of kills and a VSU attack error, 12-9. Out of a Valdosta State timeout, the Blazers fought back to tie the set back up at 14-14 following a monstrous kill from senior Jojo Smith. The frame remained tight with Lee going up 17-16 before the Blazer offense shined through on back-to-back kills from junior Katie Callenberger and Smith as well as a service ace from redshirt-freshman Avery Mullins to propel VSU to a two-point lead, 19-17. After Lee utilized its first timeout, Valdosta State remained in control, going on a 3-1 run following a quick tip-over kill from senior Mackenzie Murray to go up by four, 22-18. The Lady Flames answered back with two-straight points to make the set a two-point affair once again at 22-20. However, VSU took control, striking back for two quick notches including a service ace from senior Kaia Baker to force set-point, 24-20. Lee called its remaining timeout before Smith "called game" on a massive kill to end the set, 25-20.
 
Second Set:
Early in the second set, the frame looked to be a competitive affair with the set becoming tied up at 4-4. With sophomore Lily Glover on the serve, VSU built up a five-point lead as senior Christina Pettigrew and Mullins delivered a crushing block to go up 9-4. From there, back-to-back kills from Callenberger and Pettigrew gave the Blazers a six-point lead in a flash, 11-5. Down but never out, Lee stormed back on four-straight points to pull the set back within two at 11-9. A quick tip-over kill from Mullins stopped the bleeding before a 3-1 flurry by Valdosta State put the Blazers back up by five, 15-10. Lee called its first timeout of the second set before responding with a quick two points. However, the Blazers started to go on a roll once again on three-straight points, capped off by Baker's second service ace of the match, 18-12. Lee tallied another kill before VSU broke the 20-point mark on a kill from junior Ava Young and a solo block from Pettigrew, 20-13. The Lady Flames used their second timeout before Pettigrew tacked on her third rejection of the set to kick-start a 4-1  run by VSU, 24-14. At set-point, Glover had ice in her veins, freezing Lee dead in their tracks on a set-winning service ace, 25-14.
 
Third Set:
With the season on the line for Lee, the Lady Flames struck first to open the third set, taking a narrow 3-1 lead early. Lee continued to run up the lead on a 6-3 run that forced VSU's first timeout of the set down five, 9-4. Out of the break, the Blazers continued to struggle, suffering an attack error and a service ace back-to-back to go down by six heading into their second timeout, 12-6. Lee continued to ride its scorching momentum on a 5-1 run to go up by double-digits, 17-7. With things looking bleak for the Blazers, VSU regained momentum on back-to-back kills from Callenberger and Pettigrew for a 4-0 run to cut the Lady Flame lead to just six, 17-11. Lee attempted to slow the Blazers' roll utilizing its first timeout of the set as VSU came out of the break firing, racking up two-straight to make the set a four-point game at 17-13. With the Blazers honing in on the Lady Flames lead, VSU went on a 6-2 run to tie the set up at 19-19 following a massive service ace from Glover. Out of Lee's second break, the Lady Flames took back their lead on back-to-back kills, a service ace and a block to go up by four once again, 23-19. The Blazers managed to stop the bleeding for a bit before Lee finished off the set with one final block to seal the third set, 25-21.

Fourth Set:
Lee looked to ride off the momentum of its set three victory at the start of set four, racing out to a 5-2 lead. Valdosta State responded swiftly with a 4-1 run to tie the frame up at 6-6 following a Lee attack error. From there, the set was on with the lead changing hands like clockwork until the set was inevitably tied up again at 9-9. VSU went up by two following a kill from Smith at 11-9 before Lee swiftly responded with two points of their own to knot the frame up yet again at 11-11. Lee broke the tie on a massive block to go ahead 12-11, prompting VSU to take its first timeout of the set. Out of the break, Lee racked up three-straight points to take over the set, 15-11. VSU was forced to use its second timeout quickly as Lee continued its rally for two-more points to go up by six, 17-11. Lee managed to contain the match, only allowing the Blazers to score seven more in the set on a final 8-7 run to come back in the match, 25-18.
 
Fifth Set:
In a lose-or-go-home scenario, the Blazers and Lady Flames battled to a 4-4 start following a VSU service error. Lee jumped ahead first on a Blazer error and a kill to go up by two 6-4. However, Valdosta State was quick to strike back on three-straight points to force Lee's first timeout of the frame. The Lady Flames took advantage of their break, regaining the lead on a much-needed block, 8-7. Lee went on to build its lead up to two, denying multiple Blazer attacks at the net, 10-8. VSU called its second timeout of the set before the Lady Flames went on a 5-3 run to complete a massive five-set comeback, 15-11.
 
Inside the Numbers: