HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - The Valdosta State women's basketball team (9-8, 6-5 Gulf South Conference) is set to travel to Alabama on Thursday for a two-game road trip. The Lady Blazers open the trip in Huntsville against UAH (16-3, 11-0 GSC) at 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday and close the weekend at West Alabama (7-7, 5-6 GSC) on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.

VSU enters the week on a three-game winning streak and as winners in six of their last seven games. The Lady Blazers have been led during the stretch by junior Erin Whalen, who leads the team in scoring (14.5 PPG), rebounding (9.1 RPG), and steals (2.6 SPG). Senior Aryana Hicks has been an equally crucial leader for the Blazers offensively, notching 11.9 PPG and a GSC leading 5.5 assists per game. 

VSU has been without two starters in freshman Kendall Dykstra and sophomore Amaya Broadus in recent weeks but has found breakout efforts from freshman Chardae Rumph and sophomore Raeanne Eccleston in their places. Eccleston has posted the two best stat lines of her collegiate career in her last three games, notching a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double at Union and scoring a season-high 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting against AUM. 

Sophomore Ka'Miah Pryor rounds out the group of usual starters fresh off a 14-point performance against AUM. Junior Alina Sapilak has been finding rhythm scoring off of the bench, connecting on seven of her last 13 attempts from three-point range. Sophomore Alina Martin, junior Jada Williams, freshman Rebecca Souverain, and freshman Kaci Demps round out the group of usual contributors from the Lady Blazer bench. 

The UAH Chargers enter Thursday's contest with a perfect 11-0 start to GSC play under their belt and in the midst of a 15-game winning streak. The Charger defense holds opponents to just 60.1 PPG this season. Despite their early dominance, the Chargers only narrowly escaped Valdosta with a 72-67 win in December, their third straight win in the all-time series. VSU holds a resounding 44-18 advantage in the all-time battle despite UAH's recent success. 

UAH is led by the GSC leading scoring in Lili Wilken who averages 21.8 PPG while shooting 52% from the field. Wilken also leads the Chargers with 6.9 RPG and 2.3 SPG on the season. Ava McSwain averages double figures in her freshman season for the Chargers with 9.9 PPG. Bella White is third in scoring with 8.2 PPG and leads the team by averaging 5.1 assists per contest. 

West Alabama is another repeat opponent, with VSU claiming an 85-68 win earlier this season at the Complex. The Tigers are a strong rebounding team with an average advantage in rebounding margin of 8.1 rebounds per game over opponents this season. UWA is off to a solid 7-7 start overall with a 5-6 mark in GSC play. The Lady Blazers lead the series 24-7 dating back to 2010. 

Bellah Machen leads the team in scoring with 17.4 PPG and steals with 1.7 SPG. Haley Nichols is a threat to watch in the paint with 11.8 PPG and 8.3 RPG on the season. The veteran center made an impact during the first match between the two GSC foes. Shay Hunter has a team-high 51 assists on the year and adds 5.8 PPG in scoring. 

Keep up with your Lady Blazers during the road trip on vstateblazers.com for live stats and postgame coverage and find access to live streaming on FloCollege. Fans can also find updates on @VState_Blazers social media accounts.