VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State volleyball team (9-12) defeated the visiting Christian Brothers Lady Buccaneers in three sets (25-14, 28-26, 25-13) on Thursday evening at the Complex. The Blazers moved to 8-4 in Gulf South Conference play as a result of the win.

The Blazers opened today's match red hot, recording the first seven points of the contest. Senior Ava Young knocked down two kills in the process while junior Asia Montagnani and senior Sabrina Oncins put down one each. Graduate Macy Brown added two service aces. CBU then got on the board before Brown sent down a kill of her own, 8-1 VSU.

Montagnani, senior Katie Callenberger, sophomore Eva LaRochelle, and Oncins sent down a flurry of kills for the next four Blazer points. Young added her second kill to a Lady Buc error, 14-5. The offense kept rolling behind two kills each from Montagnani and Oncins. A CBU error extended the lead to 20-9. Callenberger (2), sophomore Avery Mullins, and LaRochelle put away kills down the stretch. Young and Oncins teamed up for a resounding rejection to end the set with a 25-14 Blazer victory.

The second set was far closer, with the sides tying on every point from 1-1 to 6-6. Kills from Oncins (2), Montagnani, and Brown joined a combo block by Young and Oncins to score the first six for VSU. The offense kept firing away, with Oncins (2), LaRochelle, and Montagnani putting down big kills. CBU kept fighting stride for stride and the sides were tied again at 11.

The next three Blazer kills came on a huge run from Montagnani. Neither side could generate separation, and they found themselves tied once more at 15-15. LaRochelle, Montagnani (2), and Young continued piling on the kills to a 21-21 tie. An ace from Oncins broke the tie and a huge block from Callenberger drew VSU within set point, 24-22.

The Buccaneers fought back to a 26-25 advantage. Young sent down a huge kill and a block in quick succession to bring the Blazers within match point. Finally, junior Eimy Negron Domenech saw a dig land in enemy territory to secure the 28-26 win and 2-0 lead.

Another kill by LaRochelle and ace from Brown pushed VSU ahead 2-0 in the third and final set. Callenberger and Montagnani put down kills, then several CBU errors pushed the Blazers in front 9-3. LaRochelle helped extend the lead with back-to-back kills. An ace from junior Hailey Holder joined kills from Oncins and Young to push the lead to 15-5.

Young and Mullins teamed up for a block then Young immediately worked with LaRochelle to send down another. LaRochelle sent down a kill then Young got in on a third combo block with freshman Madison Kilmer to make it 20-7. Mullins served an ace, 21-7. The Lady Bucs fought back to score 13, but kills from Young, Kilmer, and Montagnani finished the set with kills to post a 25-13 win and sweep the match.

Junior Asia Montagnani led the team with 13 kills at a strong .455 clip. Senior Sabrina Oncins was second with nine kills at an equally impressive .471 clip. Sophomore Eva LaRochelle added eight kills, while senior Ava Young had seven at a .462 hitting percentage. Young also led the team with six total blocks and no errors.

Sophomore Avery Mullins notched a team-high 38 assists. Mullins added eight digs, a kill, a service ace, and a block in the sweep. Junior Eimy Negron Domenech led the team with 23 digs. Graduate Macy Brown's three service aces were the most by a Blazer.

Looking Forward

The Valdosta State volleyball team is back in action tomorrow at the Complex. The Blazers host Union (4-15, 2-10 GSC) at 6 p.m. The team will then hit the road on Tuesday for a battle with No. 16 West Florida (17-3, 10-0 GSC) in Pensacola.

Check the volleyball schedule page on vstateblazers.com for links to live stats and streaming. 

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