PENSACOLA, Fla. – The Valdosta State Lady Blazers (3-4, 1-1 Gulf South Conference) are set to travel to Pensacola to take on West Florida (6-3, 1-1 GSC) on their first GSC road trip of the year. The Argos visited the Complex during the South Region Crossover, but the Lady Blazers did not meet their GSC foe during the weekend.

The Lady Blazers opened GSC play at the Complex last week, posting an 85-68 win over West Alabama on Thursday before dropping Saturday's game to UAH. Sophomore Alina Martin broke out off the bench last week, averaging 16 points per game on a crisp 66.7% shooting split to lead the team in scoring.

Sophomore Amaya Broadus paced the Lady Blazers in rebounds with eight per game. Junior Erin Whalen followed closely, averaging seven per game. Whalen tied with senior Aryana Hicks to lead the team in steals over the stretch, with each posting two per game. Hicks also led the team in assists, averaging 6.5 per contest to lead the team. The duo of Hicks and Whalen had led the Lady Blazer in most statistical categories this season, including points. The pair averages 13.7 and 13.6 points per contest, respectively.

The rest of the starting lineup has been consistently filled out by sophomore Ka'Miah Pryor and freshman Kendall Dykstra to this point in the season. Pryor posted 10.5 points per game over last week's contests at a stellar 52.9% shooting split. Dykstra added 5 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest. Sophomore Raeanne Eccleston, junior Alina Sapilak, and a trio of freshman in Kaci Demps, Rebecca Souverain, and Chardae Rumph have filled out the rotation off the bench for most of the season.

The West Florida Argonauts have benefited from a strong season by Amelia Bell in the frontcourt. Bell averaged 12.5 points and 8.5 rebounds during the Argos trip to Valdosta for the South Region Crossover. Her season averages sit at 12.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest, both UWF team highs. Bell has also led the team in blocks with 11 on the season and boasts a GSC-leading 70% field goal percentage.

The Argos have a balanced scoring attack, with senior guard Isabel Grimes following closely at 11.7 points per game. Grimes has also dished out a team-high 20 assists over UWF's seven games this season. Senior Avery O'Connor knocked down four threes at the Complex in November when UWF took on Eckerd and is third in scoring for the Argos on the season with 9.4 points per game.

UWF and VSU have played the same two GSC opponents to this point in the season. Both sides defeated West Alabama and dropped their games against UAH. Historically, the Lady Blazers are 29-23 against the Argos dating back to 2000. The teams split last season's regular season series before UWF defeated VSU in the GSC tournament in their most recent matchup.

The Lady Blazers will hit the road again next week when they travel to Tennessee to take on Trevecca Nazarene (Dec. 18^th) and Lee (Dec 20^th). The team will be back at the Complex on December 29^th to take on Fort Lauderdale.

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