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Lady Blazers have record setting day

Records were broken on Sunday, at the VSU softball complex, as the Lady Blazers put away the University of Alabama-Huntsville, the top team in the South Region, 7-4 and 4-2 in a double header.
The women were driven by a record breaking crowd of 509 people in the stands against the Lady Chargers, exceeding the previous best of 420.
“It was great,” Thomas Macera, head coach, said. “There aren’t many places you can go, even in Division I, where you can go and find 509 people watching a softball game.”
There have not been any attempts to break the record in the past, but Lindsey Lloyd, Director of Ticketing and GameOperations, confirms that the athletic department has set high goals and has been highly successful in reaching them.
“This is the first time we have attempted to break this specific record,” Lloyd said. “We set high goals this year to break various records and have reached each and every one of those goals.”
One of the driving forces behind getting the record, sophomore Marc Kaiser admits that the day was near perfect.
“I don’t think it could have gone any better,” Kaiser said. “I was pleased with it, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
The fans definitely made themselves known, as Kaiser led them all in cheers throughout both games, making lots of noise and creating an atmosphere that would help propel the Lady Blazers to victory.
“Our fan support was a key factory in the sweep against UAH,” Lloyd said. “The various chants and constant cheering motivated our girls to play to their fullest potential.”
“I was even told that the UAH head coach said it was the best crowd she has ever played in front of, granted it wasn’t in her favor,” she said. “Our fans kept it classy and I hope to see the same support when we potentially host two playoff rounds.”
Although the attendance record is a big deal to the athletic department at VSU, Lloyd explains that getting people interested in the VSU softball team, which is ranked third in the nation, was the main priority.
“This was significant not only from a historical point, but significant in the fact that our fans came through on the most important game of the regular season,” she said. “Our goal wasn’t merely to break a number, but to introduce softball to some for the first time.”
Not only was the attendance record broken, but the softball team also swept UAH in a double header, putting the Lady Blazers back on top of the region going into postseason play.
“They’ve definitely been the team to beat,” catcher Alyssa Shirey, senior, said. “It was great putting it all together in front of 500-plus people.”
As the team gets ready to take on tough teams in the conference tournament next weekend, they plan to carry its momentum and hang on for the ride.
“This is a very young team,” Macera said, “but they understand they can beat anyone if they go get after it.”
The team will go after it again on Saturday, April 24 in Pensacola, Fla. against the University of West Florida starting at 1 p.m. Read about the series online at VSUspectator.com.

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