VALDOSTA, Ga. – Senior outside hitter Sommer Rhea set the new school record for kills in a match with 26 against Gulf South Conference foe Valdosta State on Friday evening, as the Warhawks outlasted the home-standing Blazers in a five-set thriller to win the contest 3-2 in league play.
 
NOTES
- The Warhawks improve to 9-4 on the season with a 3-1 mark in the GSC.
- VSU drops to 10-7 with a 2-2 mark in league play.
- The victory for the Orange & Black sets the school record of Gulf South wins in a season (three).
- AUM won the match 22-25, 25-23, 25-27, 25-16, 15-12
- The Warhawks are now 4-1 in five-set matches this season. 
- Tonight also marked the first victory in program history over Valdosta State (1-4).
 
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Rhea notched career-high 26 kills on 63 attacks, hitting for a .317 average on the night. She also led the team in digs with 18. Rhea breaks the mark set by teammate Dariona Dash (23) on against West Alabama earlier this season.
- Sophomore setter Isadora Nicolai notched 56 assists in the match to go along with 13 digs, two blocks (one solo) and a service ace.
- Senior middle blocker Ariadne Borges 11 kills, five blocks (one solo) and an assist in the contest.

QUOTING THE COACH
"Because we serve received very well our setter was able to distribute the ball to many players and that made the difference tonight," said AUM head coach Flavia Siqueira. "Sommer especially played well tonight. She has been the most consistent player on our team with a high hitting percentage and passing efficiency. Her demeanor on the court as a leader has been key in all of our matches."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The first set saw the Blazers jump 11-3 advantage before AUM was able to break serve. The Warhawks then mounted a furious comeback to pull to within 20-19 on an Ariadne Borges kill which forced a VSU timeout. The Blazers then finished the frame on a 5-3 run to take the first set 25-22.
- The Warhawks jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the second set, capped off by a Giada Pais-Marden kill. VSU then started a comeback of their own and would eventually tie the set at 20-20. AUM then went up 21-20 on a Sommer Rhea kill but the Blazers tied the frame on the very next play. VSU then went up 23-21 before a 4-0 run by the gave the Warhawks the 25-23 victory, winning on a block by Borges and Nyah Whittlesey.
- In the third set the Blazers went up 8-3 before a service error gave AUM the point. The Warhawks then tied the frame at 9-9 on a kill by Rhea. VSU retook the lead on the next play before a pair of kills by Jaylyn Felder gave the Orange & Black the lead. AUM then pushed its advantaged to 17-13 prior to a VSU rally that eventually tied the frame at 22-22. The two teams traded points until 25-25, when VSU was able to get a pair of kills to take the set 27-25 and go up 2-1 in the match.
- The two teams traded points back and forth to start the fourth set before the Warhawks were able to push their advantage to 17-9. The two teams started trading points again, but the early advantage of the Orange & Black was too much to overcome, as Rhea put the set away with a kill to take the frame 25-16 and tie the match at 2-2.
- The fifth set saw the home team jump out to a 6-2 lead before the Warhawks got back on track. AUM rallied for six of the next eight points to tie the frame at 8-8 before a kill by Pais-Marden gave the visitors a 9-8 lead. VSU rallied for a pair of points, forcing a timeout by AUM. The Warhawks rallied for the next three points, going up 12-10 on three consecutive kills by Pais-Marden. VSU broke the serve and cut the lead to 12-11 before another kill by Pais-Marden gave the Warhawks a 13-11 advantage. Once again the Blazers broke serve to cut their deficit to 13-12, but Borges would notch a pair of kills on the next two points to give AUM the set 15-12 and the match 3-2.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- The Warhawks tallied 82.0 points while the Blazers notched 81.0.
- AUM hit for a .253 average while VSU hit .193.
- VSU tallied seven service aces to just three by AUM.
 
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