VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State volleyball team hits the road this weekend for a two-match road trip. The Blazers first stop will be on Friday evening at 7 p.m. ET in Clinton, Miss. where they take on the Mississippi College Choctaws. The team will then travel to Livingston, Ala. to take on West Alabama Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.

The Blazers (4-11) went 1-2 last week across three home matches in Gulf South Conference play. They defeated AUM on Tuesday before falling to UAH and Montevallo over the weekend. VSU has compiled a 3-3 record over six GSC matches this season.

Senior Katie Callenberger (98), freshman Madison Kilmer (88), and junior Asia Montagnani (83) fill out the podium of Blazer kill leaders to this point in the season. Sophomore Avery Mullins' 6.15 assists per set is the fourth highest rate in the GSC so far this season and her 320 assists lead the team.

Freshman Ava Keuntjes has started at libero in recent weeks, leading the team with 171 digs and 3.29 digs per set. Junior Eimy Negron Domenech's .962 reception percentage on 237 attempts is the highest clip by a Blazer with at least 5 attempts. Callenberger (33) and senior Ava Young (28) lead the Blazers in total blocks so far this season.

The Choctaws (7-10) are coming off a three-set defeat at the hands of the UAH Chargers on Tuesday. Rhaia Davey has 144 kills this season for the Choctaws at an impressive .336 clip, the second-best percentage in the GSC. She has also been active defensively, compiling 48 total blocks. Reese Regner's 345 assists are the fifth most in the conference. Meg Paparella's 28 aces and 0.65 aces per set are both conference-leading numbers.

Historically, Valdosta State holds a resounding 14-2 all-time series lead. Mississippi College has earned their two victories over the Blazers during two of the last four contests, including a win at home during last year's rendition in Clinton.

West Alabama (6-8) started the season 6-3 but enters this weekend's slate on a five-match losing streak in GSC play. The Tiger attack is led by Cadence Goeden's 150 kills and 3.49 kills per set, the second-best rate in the conference. Klára Bobánová (124) and Katerina Korre (117) follow closely at second and third on the UWA kill leaderboard. Setter Jana Petkovic's 9.90 assists per set is the third highest rate in the GSC. Her 22 service aces are the sixth most by any player in the conference.

Valdosta State holds a 20-6 advantage in the all-time series with West Alabama. The Blazers ride a six-match winning streak in the series into this weekend's contest. The winning streak includes three straight three set sweeps dating back to 2023.

Looking Forward

The Valdosta State volleyball team will return to the Complex next weekend after the upcoming road trip. The Blazers host Trevecca Nazarene on Friday, Oct 17^th at 6 p.m. then shift their focus to Lee on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.

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

Stay up to date on all Blazer news by following @VState_Blazers on Instagram and X and by liking the "Valdosta State Blazers" Facebook page. The Blazer Athletics Mobile App is available on iTunes and Android featuring exclusive content, the latest news and updates, schedules, rosters, gameday notifications, and more.