The Buccaneers earned a 25-23, 25-17, 25-22 region sweep over the Navigators on Tuesday at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.
Blinn (27-6, 8-4 Region XIV) had a slow start to all three sets, as Lee went toe-to-toe with the host Buccaneers in the opening moments of each game. Behind the skilled hitting of sophomore Kierslynn Wright (17 kills) and freshmen Don’Yah Cosie (nine) and Taylor Glendening (seven), however, Blinn’s defense came alive to keep the Bucs steady.
Eight Buccaneers had at least one kill, with sophomore libero and NJCAA Division I digs leader Ellie Turner leading the way with 29 digs. Freshman setter Darby Nash not only dished out 33 assists for the offense but added 10 digs to her stat line. Wright had nine and freshman libero Emily Hardee as well as freshman utility player Kaylen Kruse had eight apiece.
(Pictured: Blinn College head volleyball coach Terry Gamble talks to his team Tuesday during a match against Lee)
“I think one of our strengths is our defense,” Blinn head coach Terry Gamble said. “The defense is led by Ellie, who is one of the best liberos I’ve ever coached, and I think our players feed off of her. Defensively, we’re pretty good, and when we’re struggling offensively, our defense takes care of those struggles.”
Turner now has 749 digs this season. Wright continues to lead the NJCAA with 484 kills.
Wright ended the first set against Lee with a kill, while a sneaky tip kill over the center net from Nash ended game two. The Navigators locked horns with the Bucs to the tune of a 6-6 tie early in the second set, but Blinn took control with an 11-1 run and never looked back. In the third set, Lee led 13-11 midway through, but a 14-9 burst propelled the Bucs.
Nash made two incredible plays to give the hosts a two-point advantage late in the set, diving to the floor with her right arm extended, narrowly slipping her hand under a spike for a dig to keep the volley alive. Seconds later, she fell to the floor to recover a pass from Turner, eventually leading to an unforced error from Lee and a 20-18 cushion for the Bucs.
“Our positioning and our blockers help us a lot on defense,” Nash said. “When we’re in the right position, the balls are funneled right to us and we’re in position to make a play.”
Turner shined on the final volley of the night, making a diving one-handed dig near the center line that sent the ball back to Lee before repeating the feat just moments later and quickly recovering to pass a return from the Navigators. Turner’s defense culminated in a pass to Nash, who promptly served up the game-winning kill to Cosie.
(Pictured: Blinn College’s Ellie Turner reaches down for a dig during a match against Lee on Tuesday)
“Our defense is all about effort and determination,” Turner said. “We talk a lot in practice about energy and effort, and that translates into games and key plays because we put the work in to execute well.”
At 8-4, Blinn is currently second in the Region XIV standings behind Trinity Valley (11-0). The Buccaneers will continue their conference slate with a road trip to Wharton County Junior College at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15, in Wharton, Texas.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
