VALDOSTA – Trailing 2-0 in the Gulf South Conference Tournament Opening Round, the Valdosta State volleyball team battled back for a 25-23 victory in the third set, but the comeback fell short as the Warhawks took the fourth set 25-21.

The Blazers finished the year with a 14-19 record and an 8-8 mark in the GSC while AUM improved to 16-17 on the year and will continue the championship run in Pensacola.

Despite the loss, the Blazers won six of their final eight matches of the season after being picked ninth in the GSC Preseason Poll and finished tied for sixth with an 8-8 league record, while earning a home match in the conference tournament. The team finished the year hitting .154 with 1,299 kills, 254 aces, 1,785. Digs and 256 blocks.

Against AUM, the Blazers hit .123 for the match and recorded 46 kills, five aces, 15 blocks and 45 digs. Sophomore Mackenzie Murray ended the match with a team-high 18 kills and four blocks to earn Guardian Bank Player of the Match. Senior Olivia Piazza recorded 11 digs to lead the team along with an ace while sophomore Christina Pettigrew recorded a team-high eight blocks and sophomore Lyara Rosario had a team-high three aces.

For the Warhawks, AUM hit .134 for the match and recorded 49 kills, six aces, nine blocks and 59 digs. Alessa Cappai led the offense with 21 kills while Reann Cato added 19 digs and Kyla Ffrench had a team-high five blocks at the net.

Auburn Montgomery 25, Valdosta State 21 (Set One)

AUM broke a 3-3 tie with a mini 3-0 run for a 6-3 lead and then lead by as many as five before a run by the Blazers cut the deficit to 9-7. The Warhawks stretched the lead back out to five at 15-10 and then again at 20-15 on a kill from AUM’s Kendall McCain. VSU cut the deficit back to four at 20-16 with a kill by Murray for her third of the set. The sixth attack error on AUM pulled VSU within 20-17, but McCain followed with another kill for her third of the set and a 21-17 score. A kill from graduate student Mallory Roney and an error on the Warhawks pulled VSU within 22-20 and a timeout by AUM. Out of the timeout, Cappai registered her seventh and eighth kills of the set for a 24-21 lead and then the Warhawks finished the set with a block assist for a 25-21 victory.

VSU hit .171 for the opening set with 12 kills in 35 swings and six attack errors, while AUM had 15 kills in 36 swings for a .222 average and seven attack errors. Sophomore Jojo Smith led the Blazers with four kills in the first set, while Cappai had eight kills in 14 swings for AUM.

Auburn Montgomery 25, Valdosta State 22 (Set Two)

The Warhawks jumped out to an early 4-1 lead and held a 5-3 lead with the tenth kill from Cappai, but the Blazers responded with a kill from Roney for a 5-4 score. A 3-0 spurt with two errors and a kill from Cappai forced VSU into a timeout, trailing 8-4. VSU began to find its footing in the second set recording four of the next six points for a 10-8 deficit and a timeout by AUM courtesy of two kills from Murray and a block from freshman Ava Young. Out of the timeout, VSU pulled within 10-9 on a kill from Roney, but AUM responded with a kill from Ylenia De Mango as AUM built the lead to 13-9. Another kill from Roney, her fifth of the match, pulled VSU within 15-14, and then again 17-16 on a block from sophomore Audrey Bennett as VSU finally tied the set at 18 on a miscue by Ffrench. Three-straight points by the Warhawks followed for a 21-18 advantage, but the run ended on a service error by AUM, 21-19. Once again, VSU tied the set on a pair of aces from sophomore Lyara Rosario and a timeout by the Warhawks. Out of a timeout, AUM scored the next three points on a kill, a service error and an ace. VSU stayed alive with a great kill from Smith, but AUM took the second set with the 14th kill of the match from Cappai, 25-22.

For the second set, AUM had 13 kills in 29 swings for a .276 average, while VSU hit .161 with 11 kills in 31 swings. Through two sets, Smith and Murray each had seven kills for the Blazers, while Cappai had 14 for the Warhawks in 25 swings for a .520 average.

Valdosta State 25, Auburn

Montgomery 23 (Set Three)

The visitors jumped out to a 5-1 lead to begin the third set, but the Blazers continued to fight and pulled within 6-4 on a couple of miscues by the Warhawks. AUM then built a 13-8 lead and a timeout by the Blazers. Trailing 16-10, VSU rattled off three-straight points courtesy of attack errors on the Warhawks for a 16-13 deficit and an AUM timeout. Out of the break, the fourth-straight error on AUM followed and a kill from Murray stretched the run to five-straight. The momentum continued with three more attack errors on the Warhawks and a kill from Murray for a 9-0 run and another timeout by AUM with VSU leading 19-16. Pettigrew stretched the run to 10-0 with a kill, but AUM pulled within 21-19 on an ace from Roberta Monticelli. Murray followed with her 13th kill of the match for a 22-19 lead. Two quick points by the Warhawks cut the Blazer lead to 22-21 and then AUM tied the set with a block by De Mango. Murray’s kill gave VSU the lead again at 23-22. AUM tied the set at 23 on a kill from De Mango, but VSU used two errors by AUM for a 25-23 victory sending the match to the fourth set.

Both teams hit negative numbers in the third set with a combined 23 attack errors and just 17 kills combined. VSU hit -.038 with ten kills and 11 attack errors, while AUM hit .152 with seven kills and 12 attack errors.

Auburn Montgomery 25,

Valdosta State 21 (Set Four)

AUM began the fourth set gaining a 7-3 lead, but the Blazers continued to chip away and pulled within 9-8 and then tied the set at 10-10 on a miscue by the Warhawks.

Two miscues by VSU gave AUM a 15-13 lead, but two points from the Blazers tied the set at 15 for the fifth tie to that point on a block from Murray. AUM responded with three quick points on kills from Ffrench and two from McCain followed by a timeout by the Blazers. Ffrench then came up with her second solo block of the match for a 19-16 Warhawk advantage and then AUM stretched the lead to 20-16.

A kill from Murray and a block from Smith and Young, along with a kill from Smith pulled VSU within 21-20 moments later and forced a timeout by the Warhawks.

Out of the timeout, AUM scored the next two points for a 23-20 lead on kills from DeMango and Amber Bretwisch, but VSU stayed alive with a kill from Roney, 23-21. Cappai tallied her 20th and 21st kills of the match for the 25-21 victory, allowing the Warhawks to take the match 3-1.