Blinn College volleyball honored its sophomores by playing its best match in weeks in a 3-0 victory over Coastal Bend College Saturday afternoon inside the P.E. Building.
The Buccaneers won by the score 25-20, 25-18 and 25-20 to improve to 6-2 in Region XIV play and 17-16 overall.
“I felt like we got better in set three and we were able to put three sets together for a sweep,” said Kalie Mader, Blinn head coach.
Alexis Kingston led Blinn in kills with 11 and added 11 digs. Eboni Mitchell added 10 kills with a .348 hitting percentage. Danusia Sipa Borgeaud led the Buccaneers in digs with 16 while Ally Lanik dished out 35 assists in the win.
“I thought our middles did well and the passing was in a place that we could put balls away,” Kingston said. “We are trying really hard in practice to prepare us for all of these game situations.”
Before the match, Blinn honored sophomores Kingston, Mitchell, Borgeaud, Lanik, MeKayla Gurley and Haylie Ewald.
When the match started, Blinn started fast with four straight points en route to a 7-3 lead after a kill from Mitchell. The Buccaneers were able to keep their distance from Coastal Bend and close out the first set 25-20 with a kill from Kingston.
The second set didn’t start out as good for Blinn as Coastal Bend grabbed an early 7-5 lead but the Buccaneers rebounded. After a kill from Britny Mitchell, Blinn took a 14-10 lead. The Buccaneers pulled away late and closed out the second set with a kill from Eboni Mitchell for a 25-18 victory to take a 2-0 lead in sets.
The third set started a bit sluggish as well for Blinn as Coastal Bend took an early 6-3 lead. That lead quickly disappeared as Kingston delivered a kill for a 13-9 lead later in the set. Coastal Bend kept it close but Blinn was able to get another kill from Kingston to seal the match with a 25-20 victory to earn the sweep.
Blinn will play its final conference road game on Tuesday, Oct. 18 at San Jacinto College-Central at 6 p.m.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 34 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.