On the Blinn College volleyball roster, Kierslynn Wright and Ellie Turner are listed as “outside hitter” and “defensive specialist,” respectively.
If it were up to Terry Gamble, he’d add another label.
“They’re leaders,” the Buccaneers’ fifth-year head coach said. “With so many freshmen on our team, it’s Kierslynn and Ellie who this team has really relied on to be the leaders on the court, and I think they’ve done a great job with that responsibility.”
Wright and Turner have not only helped carry the torch for a Buccaneer squad ranked 11th in NJCAA Division I (DI) with a 28-6 record, but they also are the DI leaders in their respective statistical categories.
Wright, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter from Phoenix, Ariz., currently leads the country with a robust 505 kills in 35 matches. She ranks fourth with 4.11 kills per set and has posted double-digit kills in all but four contests this season. Wright also has four matches with 22 kills or more and owns a season-high 25 kills, which she posted in back-to-back matches on Sept. 17 and Sept. 20.
Turner, on the other hand, has quickly established herself as a defensive anchor in the Blinn backcourt while owning at least a portion of the national lead in digs for most of the season. The 5-foot-5 Austin, Texas, native is locked in a battle with Indian Hills freshman libero Sasha Vidal for the top spot, but Turner’s 29 digs in a win over Victoria College on Thursday, Oct. 20, give her the edge with 808 to Vidal’s 790. Turner also leads the country with 6.73 digs per set.
The transfers – Wright is from Yavapai College in Yavapai County, Ariz., and Turner is from Oregon State University – are Blinn’s only sophomores this season.
(Pictured: Blinn College sophomore hitter Kierslynn Wright, left, spikes the ball during a match against Lee College on Oct. 11)
“I honestly don’t worry about the number of kills I’m getting,” said Wright. “I just look at a match as, ‘I’m here to win. I’m not here to boost my own numbers.’ I put my team first and I go out there like I’m hitting my last ball. Getting any kill for my team is the best feeling in the world and if we’re winning because of it, that’s even better.”
Turner has merged her desire to be the NJCAA’s premier libero with an equal hunger for the Buccaneers to go all the way this season.
“I want every ball, I want to lead our team in digs, I want to lead the country in digs, and I want to be the person that’s making those big plays for our team in the big moments,” Turner said. “I want to be that player that helps lead the team to a championship and keeps everyone together along the way. If my play can help me achieve all of those goals, I’m happy.”
It’s their special blend of leadership and top-tier talent that Gamble says made the second-year athletes welcome additions to his program.
“I knew coming into this season they were both very good volleyball players,” Gamble said. “We got our first chance to see Ellie at the end of spring ball last year, and she was one of those players where I stopped and said, ‘This girl is really good,’ just based off the things she did on the floor that left me saying, ‘Wow.’
“Kierslynn got to us pretty late in the recruiting process, so we knew she could play but we didn’t know how good she was going to be until she got on the floor. Now, the kills speak for themselves. We ask so much of her – offense and defense – and she handles her role really well and she wants that role.”
Gamble is quick to mention that Wright’s offensive presence has at times overshadowed her strong defensive skills, which have perfectly complemented Turner’s abilities. Wright’s 371 digs are second on the team behind Turner.
“I think one of the biggest compliments I can give Kierslynn is that her defense on serve receive goes unnoticed because her offense is so good,” Gamble said. “She just might be as good defensively on serve receive as she is at the net hitting the ball.”
Turner said that she and Wright consider themselves a defensive wall, as Gamble has entrusted the pair to form a two-person back row during his rotations.
(Pictured: Blinn College sophomore libero Ellie Turner receives a serve during a match against Lee College on Oct. 11)
“We work well together back there, and our communication has led to our success,” Turner explained. “We know what each other is thinking and I think that increases our ability to keep the balls up on serve receive and give our offense a chance to make something happen.”
Wright agreed, adding: “We’re loud with our communication, we use our volleyball IQ to the best of our abilities, and we do our best to feed off each other and create opportunities for the offense in front of us. Ellie and I trust each other, and I think that leads to better results for our team.”
What comes next for Wright and Turner is already taking shape. As the Buccaneers continue to stack up wins in pursuit of a third consecutive trip to the NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championship, Turner is also preparing for a return to the NCAA Division I level. The future business major has committed to the University of Texas-San Antonio and will compete for the Roadrunners in 2023.
Wright, meanwhile, is still entertaining Division I suitors while holding an offer from Lamar University. She plans to study kinesiology.
“Whatever they do in their futures, they’re going to succeed, I have no doubt about it,” Gamble said. “They come to work every single day, they work hard every single day, and they want to be successful. You put those qualities in an athlete and they’re going to be successful.”
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
