GOLDEN, Colo. – Blazer volleyball dropped two matches on Saturday to close out the 2025 Oredigger Classic. They fell to both Colorado Christian (16-25, 20-25, 23-25) and No. 22 Washburn (13-25, 12-25, 15-25) on the final day of the tournament.
Colorado Christian 3, Valdosta State 0
Valdosta State (0-2) took on Colorado Christian (0-2) in their third match of the 2025 Oredigger Classic.
Seniors Sabrina Oncins and Ava Young combined for a block on the opening point of the match. Oncins and freshman Madison Kilmer added two kills each early in the opening set and the Blazers found themselves down 11-20. True freshman Kinsley Timmons entered and recorded her first career kill to cut the deficit to 12-20. Macy Brown added a kill late, but the Cougars pulled away to win 16-25.
The freshman Timmons stayed hot with a kill to open the second set. Oncins and Kilmer added kills of their own, and the sides were tied 6-6 early in the set. Senior Katie Callenberger recorded two kills in quick succession and Timmons added another to give the Blazers a 11-10 lead. Oncins and Timmons teamed up for a block, and after a Cougar service error, the lead grew to 14-11. Both sides held leads down the stretch before CCU took the second set by a score of 20-25.
The sides continued to trade blows early in the third set. Kills from Callenberger, Oncins, and Timmons saw the Blazers down 8-10 early before three straight aces from Oncins gave VSU an 11-10 lead. The Blazers charged ahead 17-13 behind crucial kills from Kilmer, Brown, and junior Asia Montagnani. CCU would storm back to tie things up at 18. Kills from Montagnani and Oncins pushed the Blazer offense ahead 22-20, but that would be their final lead of the set, with the Cougars escaping the battle by a score of 23-25.
Timmons saw the first action of her collegiate career versus CCU, playing in all three sets. She recorded six kills at an impressive hitting percentage of .667 in her debut. Sophomore Avery Mullins and redshirt freshman Ava Keuntjes recorded 10 assists each to tie for a team-best mark. Callenberger added six blocks to raise her season total to 14. She also recorded six kills at a .417 clip over three sets of work. Eimy Negron Domenech added 16 digs in the loss.
No. 22 Washburn 3, Valdosta State 0
The Blazers (0-3) took on their second AVCA-ranked opponent of the weekend in the No. 22 Washburn Ichabods in their final match at the 2025 Oredigger Classic.
Oncins and Kilmer each had a kill and combined for a block to spark the Blazer offense in game one as they fought the Ichabods to a 5-5 tie. The teams continued trading blows to another tie at 8-8, with junior Hailey Holder recording an ace in the process. Oncins and LaRochelle each recorded kills down the stretch and Timmons added a block, but the Ichabods would ultimately pull away and take the set by a score of 13-25.
Mullins sparked the Blazer offense with an early kill in the second set, and back-to-back swings from Kilmer and Oncins pulled VSU even at 7-7 after trailing 4-7. Brown, Callenberger, Kilmer, and LaRochelle each added kills to keep the offense moving, but a pair of strong Washburn serving runs created separation as the Ichabods closed the set, 12-25.
In the third, the Blazers stayed close early, trailing 4-5 behind kills from Kilmer, LaRochelle, and Oncins. VSU continued to push with points from Brown, Callenberger, and Kilmer, while Oncins added two more kills and Brown and Young combined for a late block. Despite the effort, Washburn pulled away down the stretch to secure the match with a 15-25 win.
Ava Young and Madison Kilmer each tallied three blocks to pace the Blazer defense, while Avery Mullins dished out nine assists to bring her team-leading total to 58 through the opening weekend. Libero Eimy Negron Domenech added eight digs to push her team-high mark to 56. Offensively, Sabrina Oncins led the way with six kills against Washburn and finished the tournament with a team-best 20, while Katie Callenberger closed the weekend atop the block chart with 15.
Looking Forward:
Valdosta State volleyball will return to the Complex next weekend to host the VSU Fall Tournament. The Blazers are set to take on Shorter in the home-opener at 9 a.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 12th. They will then shift their focus to Palm Beach Atlantic at 4:30 p.m. Friday afternoon before hosting Georgia College at 11:30 a.m. Saturday morning.
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