VALDOSTA –– Valdosta State former volleyball standouts Jessica Codato and Jenna Kirkwood were honored Thursday as Codato was named to the Gulf South Conference All-Decade First Team, while Kirkwood received GSC All-Decade Honorable Mention honors. The awards factor in the years 2010-2019 and were jointly selected by institutional personnel, coaches and league administrators.

Codato, a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, had probably one of the most storied careers in Blazer Volleyball history as she was a two-time GSC Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015, while earning AVCA All-America honors in both 2014 (3rd Team) and 2015 (Honorable Mention). She is the first Blazers to earn All-America honors and helped guide the team to its first GSC title in 2014.

Her final season saw her finish among the league’s leaders in assists (1,058 / 3rd GSC) and assists per set at 9.52 for third in the conference. She finished seventh nationally in triple-doubles with two on the year to lead the GSC. Codato helped lead VSU to its first NCAA postseason in 2014 as the team won its first match in the NCAA Regional, downing Saint Leo in five sets, before falling to top-seeded Tampa in the second round.

Codato finished her career with 3,176 assists, 118 service aces and 465 kills. She was a steady presence defensively as she tallied 1,008 digs and recorded 211 total blocks with 21 solo rejections. She earned GSC All-Tournament honors in 2014 and earned first team all-conference honors three times, while earning GSC All-Academic accolades in 2014.

Kirkwood, a native of Seminole, Fla., played two years for the Blazers in 2013 and 2014. Like Codato, Kirkwood helped lead the Blazers to their first GSC title in 2014 and berth in the NCAA postseason. She earned GSC First Team All-Conference honors in 2013 and second team honors in 2014. Kirkwood earned GSC All-Tournament honors in 2014 as the Most Outstanding Player of the championship, and was named GSC Player of the Week twice during her career.

She finished her career playing in 66 matches with 64 starts, while recording 833 kills, 45 aces, 495 digs and 68 total blocks with 13 solo blocks.