By: Austin Sellars – Spectator Staff Writer

VALDOSTA, GA – The Valdosta State University women’s volleyball team is set to host Christian Brothers University at the Complex, Tuesday, November 18th, at 6p.m. for the opening round of the Gulf South Conference tournament.

VSU currently holds the sixth seed in the tournament, while CBU holds the seventh.

VSU finished the regular season 12-17 overall, with an 11-9 conference record. They went 8-5 at the Complex this season and 4-8 on the road.

The Lady Blazers have performed strongly in nearly every area this season. Junior outside hitter Asia Montagnani spearheaded the offense with 227 kills, while Senior outside hitter Sabrina Oncins contributed closely behind, with 220 kills.

Junior Libero Eimy Negron Domenech has been a key defensive player, accumulating 481 digs, and redshirt sophomore setter Avery Mullins has orchestrated the offense with 833 assists.

CBU finished off their regular season 13-16 overall and went 8-10 in conference play. VSU is 15-8 against CBU historically, and the Lady Blazers haven’t lost in the last nine meetings between the two. The last time that VSU lost to them was on Oct. 25, 2019.

The last match between the two teams saw VSU earning six aces, while CBU only obtained one. If VSU can maintain that strong serving play, they will most likely stay in control of this match. Slowing down the sophomore outside hitter, Ella Schumacher, will be a key part of the Lady Blazers’ success, as she had a total of 11 kills the last time these two faced off.

Lady Blazers head coach Kaleigh Zoucha believes in this team and their ability to compete in this tournament, but she thinks it will come down to preparation.

“We’ve got to make sure we’re doing everything we can to prepare the right way and come in focused and ready to play,” Zoucha said. “There are a lot of good teams in our conference, but we’ve got to keep getting better as a team and be ready to compete with them.”

The winner of this matchup will advance to Pensacola, Florida, to compete against the number three seed, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, on Nov. 21, 2025, in the tournament’s second round.

If the Lady Blazers win the conference, they will get an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. The last time VSU achieved this was in 2014.