The VSU women’s volleyball team went 2-1 this past week, including two matches within the Gulf South Conference.

 The Lady Blazers took on the Argos of West Florida last Friday in a match where the winner would walk away with sole possession of first place in the Gulf South East division.

 The two squads met earlier this season on Sept. 24 and the results were almost identical.   West Florida took the first set, 25-16, and never looked back. The Argos swept the Lady Blazers in three sets, 25-16, 25-16, and 25-18.

 “We just didn’t give them much of a battle,” Head Coach Sia Poyer said. “They played a different lineup this time, but that goes to show that they have a lot of depth.”

 However, the Lady Blazers quickly recovered by sweeping West Alabama the next afternoon. The big win catapulted VSU to 6-2 in the conference, still with a shot to be the number one seed and host in the Gulf South Tournament.

 Ruthie King and Irene Hannan both were huge factors in the team’s .374 average attack percentage. The two had 14 and 10 kills, respectively.

 With the win over West Alabama, VSU was able to accomplish their season-long goal, which was to clinch a spot in the conference tournament. They were able to do so with two weeks remaining in the regular season, a feat that Poyer is very proud of.

 “It’s really nice to secure a spot with two weeks left,” Poyer said. “I’m really proud the way the girls turned it around after the loss to West Florida.”

 On Monday, the Lady Blazers stepped away from conference play for an inner-state match against Albany State and they dominated them with a final score of 25-11, 25-12, and 25-15.

 VSU came out strong early, with a .536 attack percentage in the first set and .389 on the entire match. The defense was even stronger, holding ASU to a negative attack percentage in the second set and .030 overall.

 “We were really proud about our win against Albany,” Poyer said. “With the win, we’ve now defeated every Division II school in the state of Georgia.”   This weekend, VSU gets back in to conference play with home matches Friday and Saturday against Alabama-Huntsville and North Alabama, respectively. It’s a big weekend for VSU. Friday is Parent’s Night and Saturday, Senior’s Night.

 “I look forward to these events every year,” Poyer said. “We have kids from all over the country whose parents rarely ever get to see them play, so I’m sure it’ll be emotional.”