Blinn College volleyball enters the 2026 season with a dramatically different roster, but the expectations surrounding the program remain the same.
Head coach Gregg Whitis begins his second season leading the Buccaneers after guiding Blinn to a 38-5 record, a second-place finish in Region 14 and the program’s sixth consecutive appearance in the NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championship tournament in 2025. The Bucs spent the entire season ranked in the NJCAA Division I Top 20, finished No. 9 nationally and went 1-2 at the national tournament.
This season, however, Whitis will lead a team almost entirely of his own making.
Only two players return from last year’s roster: sophomore libero/defensive specialist Natalia Silva and sophomore hitter/setter Kassandra De La Garza. Fifteen members of the 2025 squad transferred to four-year programs, including NCAA Division I schools such as the University of Houston, Cal Baptist University, Sam Houston State University and Alabama State University.
Among those departures were several of Blinn’s biggest contributors, including first-team NJCAA Division I All-American Kaliko Schilling, along with Jana Cetkovic, Annika Brooks, Leah Hoss and Camden Bizot.
Whitis spent the offseason rebuilding the roster, adding 14 freshmen and three sophomores. Seventeen of Blinn’s 19 players are new to the program.
The newcomers include middle blocker Alana Asante, a transfer from Eastern Wyoming Community College; outside/opposite hitter Aliyah Harris, who arrives from Tennessee State University; and outside hitter McKynzee Beddes, a transfer from the University of California, Riverside.
Despite the massive turnover, Blinn will begin the season ranked No. 12 in the NJCAA Division I preseason poll.
The Bucs have plenty of athletic ability, but developing consistency, leadership and competitiveness will be critical for a young roster attempting to meet the standards established by recent Blinn teams.
Preseason practices have focused heavily on setting, blocking and serving as the coaching staff works to turn the team’s raw athleticism into a cohesive unit. Serving has been a particular emphasis as Blinn looks to create pressure on opponents from the opening touch.
The Bucs also have significant size in the middle. Asante stands 6-foot, while freshmen London King and Kansas Lamar are 6-foot-1 and 6-foot-2, respectively. That combination gives Blinn the potential to develop a strong presence at the net on both offense and defense.
Competition for playing time will be another important part of the preseason. With nearly an entirely new roster, players will have to establish their roles quickly while adjusting to the demands of college volleyball and a Blinn program accustomed to competing on the national stage.
That development will be tested early.
Blinn’s 32-match regular-season schedule begins Friday, Aug. 21, at the Western Texas Tournament in Snyder, where the Bucs will face Temple College at 1 p.m.
The Buccaneers return to Brenham for the Kruse Kickoff Classic beginning Aug. 27 at the Kruse Center, followed by the Blinn Invitational beginning Sept. 4.
The schedule includes five matches against teams that finished nationally ranked last season. Indian Hills Community College, Florida SouthWestern State College and Daytona State College will visit Brenham during the Kruse Kickoff Classic. Florida SouthWestern finished as the 2025 national runner-up.
Blinn will also face Region 14 rival Trinity Valley Community College twice during conference play. Trinity Valley finished 14-0 in Region 14 last season and defeated Blinn in the Region 14 Tournament championship match before advancing to the national tournament.
Blinn opens Region 14 play at home against Tyler Junior College at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8.
The challenging early schedule should give Whitis and his staff a quick indication of how rapidly the young roster is developing.
For a team with 17 newcomers, growing pains are inevitable. The key will be how quickly the Buccaneers learn from those early challenges and begin playing together consistently.
The ultimate goals remain familiar: compete for the Region 14 championship and earn another trip to the NJCAA Division I national tournament.
For Blinn, the 2026 season represents both a rebuild and an opportunity. The roster may be almost entirely new, but the standard the Buccaneers are expected to meet has not changed.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and has captured 53 national championships since 1987.
