VALDOSTA, Ga.- The Valdosta State volleyball team (6-5, 0-1 GSC) is back in action after Saturday and Sunday's home matchups against Union and Christian Brothers were postponed due to the lingering effects of Hurricane Helene. The team will now shift its focus to the road where Auburn Montgomery awaits for a week-night Gulf South Conference matchup on Tuesday evening at 7 p.m.
 
Last Tuesday, VSU opened conference play at West Florida as the Argonauts took the match in three sets (25-19, 29-27, 25-15). For the match, The Blazers hit for .223 with 40 kills and 15 errors in 122 attempts while the Argonauts hit for .382 on 48 kills and nine errors in 102 swings. Senior Jojo Smith led the Valdosta State offense with 10 kills while junior Katie Callenberger tallied nine and senior Christina Pettigrew added eight. Pettigrew also led the match in aces with three of the Blazers' six total. Meanwhile, senior setter Audrey Bennett racked up 32 assists in the three-setter.
 
For the 2024 season, Smith currently leads the Blazers on the offensive attack, sitting at 114 kills on the year for 3.08 kills a set. Bennett currently sits at fourth in the conference in assists with 354 on the year while she currently ranks seventh in VSU history with 1605 assists as a Blazer. Meanwhile, Pettigrew leads the Blazers in aces with 16 while also leading the Blazers in blocks with 26 on the season so far with 14 solo rejections on the year. She also ranks eighth in VSU history in total blocks (261) and solo blocks (75). Senior libero Kaia Baker currently ranks fourth in the conference in digs with 179 total for a league-best 4.97 digs per set.
 
AUM enters the week with a 4-7 overall record and a 1-1 mark in league play. The Warhawks had a mixed weekend, defeating West Alabama in three sets on Thursday night before dropping a 3-0 loss to Mississippi College at home on Saturday afternoon. Auburn Montgomery is under the direction of new head coach Craig Case who previously spent 13 seasons at Texas A&M-Commerce where he constructed an impressive 216-167 record at the helm of the program. AUM holds a narrow 8-5 lead in the program series against VSU since 2017 with the Warhawks winning the previous two matchups against the Blazers in 2022 and 2023.
 
Individually, the Warhawks are led by Maya Thompson, who does a little bit of everything on the court. She currently leads the team in kills with 112 while hitting a team-best .273 with 45 miscues in 245 attempts. Defensively, she leads the team with 33 total blocks and nine solo rejections. Greta Corrente currently ranks first in the conference in aces per set at .67 a clip with 26 total service aces on the year. Meanwhile the duo of Campbell Gash (179 assists) and Savannah Sebek (172 assists) account for 351 of AUM's 391 assists.
 
Following the Tuesday showdown with Auburn Montgomery, the Blazers will continue their Alabama road trip this weekend. VSU is set to take on GSC-top ranked Alabama Huntsville on Friday evening at 7 p.m. ET before squaring off with Montevallo on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.  For live stats, streaming links and information on those matchups, head to vstateblazers.com and go to the volleyball schedule page.