VALDOSTA, Ga. –  The Valdosta State volleyball team opened their 2025 home slate with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-10) victory over Shorter in the first match of the VSU Fall Tournament Friday morning at The Complex. They lost a hard-fought battle over four close sets with Palm Beach Atlantic (27-29, 25-18, 15-25, 23-25) later in the afternoon to split the day at an even 1-1.

Match One
The Blazers hit .313 in the tournament-opening match with 37 kills and just six errors in 99 swings, while the Hawks hit .155 with 31 kills, but committed 15 errors in 103 swings.  VSU was led by eight kills from Macy Brown, while Katie Callenberger and Madison Kilmer each added seven kills. 

VSU (1-4) won the first set 25-21, took the second 25-17 and the third 25-10.  Shorter (1-1) was led by seven kills from Victoria Sparks. 

Shorter scored five of the first six points of the opening set before the Blazers began to find their footing. A kill from Callenberger pulled the Blazers within 12-11.  She then tallied another kill sparking a 5-0 run on the way to a 16-13 lead.  SU pulled within 16-14, but the Blazes kept the pressure high, scoring the next four-straight for a 20-14 lead.  Shorter would close the distance to 22-20, but a kill from Sabrina Oncins and a bad set by the Hawks gave VSU a 25-21 victory.

The Blazers would use a mini-5-0 run for an 8-5 lead early in the second set, but the Hawks responded with three-straight for an 8-8 score.  VSU broke a 10-10 tie with a 4-0 run and the Blazers proceeded to score seven of the next eight points for a 17-11 score.  VSU stretched the lead to 21-13 and went on to a 25-17 second set victory. 

VSU scored 11 of the first 15 points of the third set capped off by an ace from Eimy Negron Domenech.  The hot spurt continued with the Blazers scoring nine of the next 12 for a 20-8 lead on their way to a 25-10 victory. 
 
Match Two
In the second match of their slate at the 2025 VSU Fall Tournament, the Blazers (1-5) battled through four sets with the Sailfish (5-1) of Palm Beach Atlantic. PBA pulled away to win by a score of three sets to one, but all four sets were highly contested, and there were nice takeaways for the Blazers to build from.

In the first set, the Sailfish jumped out to an 8-3 lead, but the Blazers stormed back to a 10-8 advantage behind six consecutive serves by Brown. Callenberger, Oncins, and Kinsley Timmons recorded two kills each down the stretch with Asia Montagnani and Brown each adding one of their own, but PBA was able to pull away and take the set 29-27.

Five straight serves from Avery Mullins put the Blazers ahead 5-0 in the second set. PBA fought back quickly, and the set stayed close. Kills from Oncins, Timmons, Mullins, Kilmer and Ava Young kept the Blazer offense rolling, but the teams found themselves tied repeatedly throughout the match. Callenberger recorded four huge kills in close succession as the set came to a close, and two errors from the Sailfish saw VSU close it out to tie the match 1-1.

It was a battle of runs throughout the match, but the Sailfish were able to edge out the key points down the stretch in the third and fourth sets. Callenberger impressed on offense, recording 12 kills at a .308 clip. Oncins led the way with 13 kills, while Timmons seven were her most as a Blazer. Mullins 22 assists were a season-high mark, and she added a kill along with 10 digs. Young's three total blocks were also a season-best mark.

Looking Forward
The Blazers are back in action at the VSU Fall Tournament tomorrow at the Complex. They will take on Georgia College at 11:30 a.m. ET. The full schedule for the VSU Fall Tournament can be found here.

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