Campus Life Editor: Winter Dube

VALDOSTA, Ga. — The Blazer’s flame burns brighter as their win streak against the Buccaneers extends to eight after a nail-biting back and forth play resulting in 28-26 in their second set at the VSU Complex on Thurs. Oct. 23, forwarding them to 9-12 overall and 8-4 in conference play. 

The Blazers opened the first set with a 7–0 lead before the Buccaneers could respond. Senior Ava Young and junior Asia Montagnani fueled the momentum early with a series of kills, while graduate student Macy Brown added two service aces. From there, VSU kept full control, with Montagnani, senior Katie Callenberger, and sophomore Eva LaRochelle combining to close the set at 25–14. 

Montagnani, who finished with 13 kills and a .455 hit percentage, said the team’s determination was key to their success.
“Today we were really determined,” Montagnani said. “We were all very locked in on the game and dedicated to making the least amount of mistakes possible. I feel very happy. You can always do better, but that was a really good game, and we proved we are a great team.” 

The second set proved to be a battle, with both teams exchanging points nearly the entire way. Neither side led by more than two points until late in the set. Christian Brothers gained a brief 26–25 edge, but a clutch kill and block from Young tied things up before a defensive dig from junior Eimy Negron Domenech landed perfectly on the Buccaneers’ side of the court, sealing a dramatic 28–26 win. 

Head coach, Kaleigh Zoucha, praised the Buccaneers’ offensive execution while reflecting on her team’s adjustments between sets.
“I think they did a pretty great job at getting passes and being in system, so they were better at running their offense,” Zoucha said. “In that second set, I don’t think we were running our offense as efficiently, but defensively I think our team did a pretty good job of making some hustle plays.” 

Valdosta State carried that same energy into the third and final set. LaRochelle opened the frame with a kill before Brown’s ace stretched the lead to 2–0. Montagnani and Callenberger followed with powerful finishes as a string of Buccaneer errors widened the gap. The Blazers led by as much as 13 points, with Young and LaRochelle combining for a pair of emphatic blocks that punctuated their control. The Blazers sealed the set, and the sweep, with a final score of 25–13. 

When asked about her focus for the next game, Montagnani emphasized constant improvement.
“I think I’m going to focus mostly on my serve to receive because I don’t think my passing was great today,” she said.

The win gave the Blazers momentum heading into Friday’s home matchup against Union University before they travel to face nationally ranked West Florida next week. With their offense firing efficiently, Valdosta State looks confident in continuing to make noise in conference play.