ROME, Ga. –– The Valdosta State volleyball team battled back from a 2-1 deficit for a 3-2 win in a five-set thriller Tuesday evening at Shorter in the Gulf South Conference opener for both teams. The Blazers improved to 9-5 on the year with the win and 1-0 in league play, while Shorter fell to 6-6 and 0-1 in the GSC.

VSU forced the decisive fifth set with a 25-20 win in set four. In the decisive set, SU raced out to a 3-1 lead, but the Blazers battled back with a 9-3 run for 10-6 lead. VSU made the score 12-9 and then went on for the 15-10 win. It was the second five set match of the season for the Blazers as they improved to 1-1 in five setters this season.

For the match, VSU hit .164 with 42 kills in 152 attempts, while Shorter hit .064 with 55 kills in 202 attempts. VSU sophomore Jessie Mooney had a double-double with 10 kills and 16 digs, while junior Rebecca Sills led the way with 18 kills. Senior Dariah Powell had 10 kills and junior Grace Daugherty added eight kills and a team-high five blocks. Reigning GSC Player of the Week Tammy Reyes Perez had 31 assists in the match. The Blazers held SU to negative numbers in the second and fifth sets helping to the win.

Shorter was led by 16 kills from Mirella Gatterdam, while Emily Wilson had 24 digs and Kendall Vondra added 27 assists.

In the opening set, Shorter took the early advantage and built a 16-12 lead, but the Blazers pulled within 20-18 on an error by the Hawks. Shorter scored five of the next seven points for the 25-20 win.

VSU responded with its best set of the night as it used a 6-0 run for a 16-8 lead and went on for a 25-11 win as the team hit a match-high .280 for the set with 10 kills in 25 attempts with three errors, while Shorter committed 11 miscues in the set.

The upset-minded Hawks responded in the third set as both teams had a chance for the set down the stretch. VSU took a 23-22 lead on a miscue as Reyes Perez served five-straight times. The teams were square at 24 moments later, but a kill from Annie Veldhuis and a miscue by the Blazers gave Shorter the 2-1 lead.

VSU led much of the fourth set, but the Hawks tied it 20. The Blazers dug deep and rattled off the final five points of the set for the win to force the pivotal fifth set.

The Blazers return home to begin a four-match homestand Friday at 6 p.m., versus Lee at The Complex. Check back with vstateblazers.com for all Blazer volleyball information throughout the season.