Valdosta State claims first-ever GSC Tournament Championship
Courtesy of VSU athletics
Rome, Ga. - The Valdosta State volleyball team ended a dominant Gulf South Conference Tournament run in possession of their first ever GSC Championship trophy, thanks to a 3-0 (25-22, 29-27, 25-19) win on Sunday in Rome, Ga. over North Alabama.
The three-set sweep of the Lions added to a perfect performance for VSU in the 2014 GSC Tournament, as the Blazers won nine straight sets with 3-0 victories over UAH, UWF, and UNA.
"I'm thrilled for the girls," said Head Coach
Mike Swan, who helped lead the squad to the conference title in just his second year at the helm. "It's sweet to get this first conference championship with this group, because it's a special group of girls that have been very enjoyable to coach this year."
Valdosta State blasted 47 kills in the contest and saw four players swing for at least eight kills.
Lea Jaklen connected for a team-high 11 kills in the contest, and
Jenna Kirkwood, who was named the tournament MVP, belted 10 kills in 29 attempts with just one error for a .310 hitting percentage.
"I told the team all week long that I thought we were going to come here and win," added Swan. I think they embraced that and realized that regardless of where we play, if we play our game we can compete with anybody."
Coach Swan also acknowledged the blocking effort of his team that included eight blocks by
Destiny Berry, the GSC's top blocker. Valdosta State posted 19 blocks in the match, many of which came in the third and final set. The effort was a key reason why the Lions were held to a .187 hitting percentage on the day.
Jessica Codato, who dished out 38 assists and slammed seven kills in the match, joined Jaklen and Kirkwood on the All-Tournament Team.
"Everybody on this team did exactly what they needed to do to make this happen," exclaimed Kirkwood after the match. "The only way we could have done this is if we all worked together, and we did that this week."
The win improved the Blazers to 24-7 on the season and earned the squad an automatic bid into the NCAA South Regional. The final seedings will be announced during the
NCAA Division II volleyball Selection Show on Sunday night at 10:00 p.m.
2014 GSC Volleyball All-Tournament Team
Jessica Austin, UNA
Lexie Bradley, UNA
Meghan Wadsworth, UNA
Andrea DeLeon, UNA
Jessica Codato, VSU
Lea Jaklen, VSU
Jenna Kirkwood, VSU
(
Most Outstanding Player)