Blinn College Overwatch prevailed in a pair of matches Wednesday.
The Buccaneers battled the University of Arkansas-Rich Mountain in NJCAA Esports (NJCAAe) play and earned a 3-0 victory, and later continued its run in the University of Kentucky Overwatch Invitational Qualifier with a 2-0 win over Bellevue University.
Haluk Tanriseven, Donnivan Straight, Dhruv Pandrangi, Jaden Cornett, and Matthew Hutchings competed for the Bucs, who improved to 3-0 in NJCAAe matches and 5-1 in the Kentucky Invitational.
Against Rich Mountain, Blinn assistant coach and Overwatch manager Kyle Murto said his team cruised past the Bucks in the best-of-five series.
“The match unfolded smoothly as we effortlessly navigated through Rich Mountain’s defenses, securing a decisive win,” Murto said. “With this win we continue to dominate the field in NJCAAe play and will be looking once again to make the National Championship match.”
Blinn is in first place in the NJCAAe East 2 Conference.
Blinn followed its win over Rich Mountain with a sweep of Bellevue in the best-of-three matchup.
“Despite a challenging start where we found ourselves spawn camped on the initial point of map one, our team rallied back,” said Murto. “With strategic adjustments, we turned the tide in our favor, clinching the first map before transitioning to map two. We would put on an outstanding defensive performance, denying Bellevue any opportunity to capture the first point. Bolstered by our cohesive teamwork, we executed a strong offensive push, securing the victory.”
The Bucs have one qualifying match remaining (opponent to be decided) and currently hold the second seed for the upcoming tournament.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 45 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
