Head coach Terry Gamble and his Buccaneers — ranked seventh in the NJCAA’s preseason top-20 poll — kick off their season against Dallas College-Cedar Valley in a Region V vs. Region XIV Showdown at 5 p.m., Thursday in Beeville, Texas. Blinn begins its 2022 campaign with a brand new roster which features just two sophomores (both transfers) and 13 freshmen. That makes Blinn the youngest it has been in three seasons.
However, the Buccaneers believe that with that youth comes a wealth of hunger.
“This team is young, but there’s an eagerness to learn and grow together as a unit,” said transfer sophomore Ellie Turner, who arrives at Blinn from Oregon State. “Coach Gamble has set his expectations of what he wants from this team, whether it’s how we perform in the classroom or on the court, and that demands that we hold ourselves to a higher standard.
“The girls who are here have bought into this program, and what has already been built here, so we’re all ready to work to keep that intact.”
In Gamble’s four seasons at Blinn, he’s established a high bar to the tune of a 124-25 overall record. That success includes last season’s national qualifier which finished eighth in the nation. The 2021 Buccaneers finished 39-4 overall with a clean sweep of Region XIV (16-0) while earning the top seed in the national tournament.
All members of that team have moved on, but Gamble is confident this year’s squad is equipped to push Blinn’s winning tradition forward.
“We recruit kids who fit the Blinn way,” Gamble said. “That means being good academically; being good community-based kids who like to do things for our community; and then good volleyball players on the court.
“This team is no different than teams of the past. I think this team is going to learn and get better every day. Everybody is learning their way, but we’ve already gotten so much better in just the two weeks we’ve been practicing together, and the team is only going to continue to grow.”
Along with Turner, Kierslynn Wright joins Gamble’s roster as a transfer after spending one season at NJCAA member Yavapai College (Prescott, Ariz.). Blinn’s freshmen bring a heavy Texas influence to the Buccaneers, starting with Brenham native Kaylen Kruse. Emily Hardee (Dickinson), Taylor Glendening (Richmond), Lexi Higgins (Cat Spring), Hannah Berg (League), Don’Yah Cosie (The Woodlands), Madison Gundry (Fulshear), Darby Nash (College Station), and Kelsi Wingo (Baytown) all hailing from the Lone Star State. Turner is also a homegrown talent from Austin. The Bucs will feature three international players in the form of Zuzia Rut (Swidnica, Poland), Bojana Marojvikj (North Macedonia), and Polianna Hernandez (Sao Paulo, Brazil).
Blinn will again bring size to the court this fall, with eight of its athletes standing 5-10 or taller. Four more stand in at 5-8.
Gamble hopes that size will lead to steady results at the net, especially in terms of hitting and blocking.
“Our athletic ability is very, very good; our setting position is really, really good; and our passing and defensive position is really good,” Gamble said. “We have to get better blocking, and we just need to learn to game at this level.
“But again, the biggest asset is going to be that these girls work hard.”
The Buccaneers will compete in two tournaments – the Coastal Bend Tournament beginning Aug. 19 and the Western Texas Fall Classic starting Aug. 26 – before kicking off Region XIV play.
Blinn will open conference action against Tyler Junior College at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 30 at the Kruse Center in Brenham. Despite a spotless run through the region in 2021, Gamble said the conference as a whole is on the rise, and added that he expects a few more dogfights this season.
“The region is up, and we’re still the toughest region in the country,” Gamble said. “I expect to be the toughest in the country again this season, and that gives us a real opportunity to challenge ourselves and see what we’ve got. Because of that, I think at the end of the season, we’re going to be right there with everybody else.”
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
