The Buccaneer Overwatch team won three matches Sunday in the NACE Last Chance Qualifier #2 tournament to clinch the final berth in the 16-team playoffs.
The NACE playoffs begin Tuesday, Nov. 15.
“If we continue to improve on the matches from this weekend, we should have a strong showing in the playoffs,” Blinn assistant coach Kyle Murto said. “A lot of it will come down to our players’ mentality. While I believe we definitely are one of the better teams in this tournament, we are also our own worst enemies as we often get in our own heads. If we come into the playoffs with the right mindsight, I think we can take on anyone in this tournament.”
Sophomores Gabriel Lopez, William Rossley, William Bowman, Aaron Lazo, and George Francis competed in all three of the Bucs’ matches over the weekend.
Blinn was pushed into the Last Chance Qualifier #2 following a 3-0 best-of-five loss to Rochester Institute of Technology in the Last Chance Qualifier #1 on Saturday.
The Bucs capitalized on their final opportunity at postseason play starting with a 3-0 triumph over Wichita State University. Blinn swept Wichita State earlier in the season, but Murto said the rematch was a much closer battle that required his team to overcome small mistakes.
“At the end of the day, it was a win and an overall convincing one,” Murto stated.
The University of Cincinnati was Blinn’s scheduled opponent for round two of the qualifier but was forced to withdraw from the competition, granting the Bucs an automatic spot in the finals.
Blinn faced the University of Maryland in the last match of the qualifier and earned a 3-0 victory.
“We did have a couple of shaky fights here and there, but for the most part, this was by far and away our best series of the tournament,” Murto said.
The seedings and bracket for the NACE playoffs is expected to be revealed in the coming days.
Blinn’s esports season continues when the third-ranked Buccaneer Valorant team faces Kennesaw State University at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 7.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
