VALDOSTA, Ga. – In their first Gulf South Conference contest of the season, the University of West Florida volleyball team outlasts Valdosta State to capture their first conference win of the year.
Now 12-1 on the season, the Argonauts had to take this one to four sets before taking down the Blazers 3-1 in tonight's match.
Picking up huge performances by both newcomers and experienced players, West Florida was able to turn the tides of the match in the third set coming back near the end of the set to take the crucial 2-1 lead in the match.
Plagued by one of their worst hitting performances of the season, the Argonauts leaned on a few hitters to carry a lot of the load on Tuesday night.
Veresia Yon, who was named the AVCA National Player of the Week earlier in the day, finished the match with 22 kills which is the most in a single match by a West Florida player this season. The middle blocker was swinging very efficiently again tonight hitting .529% and finishing with a team-high 24.5 points.
Freshman outside
Alex Oliver picked up where she left off against Gannon on Saturday finishing the match with a double-double including a career-high 14 kills. Leading the team in digs as well, Oliver totaled 15 kills against the Blazers for another career-high in the match.
Tyler Fezzey also ended the match with double-digit kills finishing with 12 kills on a .346 hitting percentage.
Setter
Taylor Vaneekeren was another key piece of the West Florida offense finishing with 48 assists in the match. In addition to assists on Tuesday night, Vaneekeren also picked up 8 kills, which is a new career-high, as well as 7 digs and always seemed to pick up big points in crucial moments of the match.
This win marks the ninth straight win for the Argonauts over Valdosta State on a streak that dates back to the 2016 season.
Next up for West Florida will be two more conference contests this weekend from the UWF Field House in which the Argonauts will take on both Auburn Montgomery and West Georgia. Friday's match against the Warhawks also marks the Argonauts annual Blackout match in which fans are suggested to wear black in what will be a fun environment for both students and fans.
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