VALDOSTA, Ga.- The Valdosta State volleyball team went 1-1 in the final day of the VSU Fall Tournament at The Complex on Saturday, falling to Rollins in the afternoon game before closing out the tournament with a 3-0 victory over Erskine in the prime time matchup.
 
MATCH #1:
Match Information: Rollins College at Valdosta State
Score: Rollins 3, Valdosta State 0 (25-19, 25-20, 26-24)
Records: RC (3-0), VSU (1-2)
Location: The Complex (Valdosta, Ga.)
 
First Set:
The Blazers and Tars kicked off their first match of the day trading blows back and forth until Rollins pulled ahead early, 11-6. VSU responded with a solid 5-1 run to pull the set back within one, 12-11. The Tars battened down the hatches making little to no mistakes down the stretch, going on a 9-3 run to extend their lead out to seven, 21-14. VSU managed to score five more points down the stretch, but the damage had already been done as RC closed out the set, 25-19. For the set, the Blazers hit for .068 with 11 kills and eight errors on 44 swings while the Tars hit for .200 on 13 kills and just five errors in 40 attempts. Blocks proved to be a big story in the set as Rollins racked up six of their 13 total rejections in the set.
 
Second Set:
In the second set, VSU and RC were locked in a stalemate heading into a tie at 10-10 to kick off the frame. However, Rollins ended up pulling ahead on a 7-3 run following a service ace from the Tars' Lana Gerard to go up 17-13. The Blazers continued to fight to get back into the set, pulling within as close as three points but the Rollins' offensive barrage was too much to overcome as VSU dropped set two, 25-20. The Blazers improved their hitting percentage in set two to .132 with 12 kills and seven miscues on 38 attempts while the Tars hit a match best .278 on 14 kills and just 4 errors on 36 attempts.
 
Third Set:
In what would be an epic third set, VSU and Rollins came out of the gate going back-and-forth on points until the set was knotted up at 12-12. Much like the second set, the Tars began to pull away, out-scoring VSU 6-3 to go up by three. 18-15. However, the Blazers put up a fight racking up six straight points on two VSU kills and four RC attack errors to get right back in the set, 21-18. Not going away without a fight, the Tars went on a 5-2 run to bring the set to a standstill once again at 23-23. The Blazers inched ahead on a Tars attack error before Rollins scored three straight to seal the set and the match, 26-24. Both the Blazers and Tars hit for their worst percentages of the match with VSU hitting for .02 with just eight kills while RC hit for .018 on 13 errors, its most of the afternoon.
 
Inside the Numbers:

 
MATCH #2:
Match Information: Erskine at Valdosta State
Score: Valdosta State 3, Erskine 0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-19)
Records: VSU (2-2), EC (1-3)
Location: The Complex (Valdosta, Ga.)
 
First Set:
The Blazers were off the races in the first set of the night matchup against Erskine, building up an 8-4 lead in a hurry following a massive kill from senior Jojo Smith. The Flying Fleet proved to not go away easily, pulling the set within one following three straight kills, 8-7. VSU remained unfazed, going on a speedy 8-2 run which included five kills from Smith, 16-9. The Blazer offense continued to overwhelm the young core of the Fleet as VSU closed out the set on a 9-6 run, 25-15. The Blazers hit for an impressive .387 with 15 kills and three errors in 31 swings. Smith led the attack with seven kills the first set alone.
 
Second Set:
VSU looked to kick down the door once again, speeding out to a narrow 10-7 lead. From there, the Blazers scored five straight points on a pair of kills and back-to-back service aces from senior Christina Pettigrew, 15-7. The Flying Fleet managed to pull the game within as much as six, but the momentum of the set cruised with the Blazers as Valdosta State took set two, 25-16. VSU hit for a staggering .500 on 13 kills and just one miscue on 24 swings.
 
Third Set:
Valdosta State continued to ride its momentum from the previous sets, building up a six point lead following a kill from Bennett, 12-6. The Blazers and Fleet traded points back and forth with VSU maintaining its six-point lead, 17-11. Erskine managed to give VSU one final scare, going on a three-point mini-run to cut the Blazer lead to three, 17-14. However, the Blazers remained on their guard, regaining momentum and closing the set out on a 8-5 run to take set three 25-19. The Blazers hit for .382 while tallying a match-high 16 kills with three errors on 34 attempts.
 
Inside the Numbers:

 
Up Next:
The Blazers will  hit the road for their first road trip of the season as they compete in the Saint Leo Tournament next weekend. VSU will take on four different squads between Friday, Sept. 13 and Saturday, Sept. 14 beginning with St. Edward's on Friday morning at 9 a.m. For more information on that matchup as well as the exciting season ahead for the Blazer volleyball team, stay tuned to vstateblazers.com.