As a packed house inside the Kruse Center rose to its feet Wednesday, the Blinn College volleyball team answered its home fans’ enthusiasm by rising to the occasion.
The 12th-ranked Buccaneers rallied out of a four-point deficit late in set three and out-battled Tyler Junior College in extra points to earn a big 25-21, 25-17, 28-26 Region XIV sweep in Brenham, Texas.
“I thought the fans were great tonight and I want to give a shout out to them,” Blinn head coach Terry Gamble said. “Our girls responded to the fans and the fans helped us win that match.”
The Buccaneers (29-3, 8-2 Region XIV) earned their second sweep of the Apaches this season and used every bit of energy provided by the Blinn faithful to do it.
Trailing 22-18 in a third set which elapsed almost 30 minutes, freshman libero/hitter Kirby Kliafas blocked a Tyler spike to get the Buccaneer rally going. Her defensive effort was immediately met with a roar from the stands.
Sophomore outside hitter Jaedyn Newman followed with a solo block of her own as the cheers kept coming.
“We played as a team, we fought, and I think the crowd was feeling it as much as we were and it showed,” Newman said. “We gave it our all.”
Moments later, with the set tied, Newman would secure another block to push Blinn ahead 23-22, and freshman libero Cierra Pesak provided an emphatic celebratory shove to her teammate as Newman let out a thunderous roar of her own.
Neither team would give up much ground from there, as the squads exchanged points en route to a 26-all tie.
(Pictured: Blinn’s Jaedyn Newman gets a celebratory shove from her teammate Cierra Pesak during a match against Tyler Junior College on Oct. 4, 2023)
It was from that point, however, that the Bucs would finish the comeback and complete the sweep.
After freshman right-side hitter Kellen Dorotik buried a kill inside the back-left corner to set up match point, sophomore middle blocker Brooke Pattschull re-entered the match and provided some heads up heroics. Sophomore middle blocker Taylor Glendening’s final serve of the night was quickly returned to the Bucs, and Pattschull met the ball at the net with a one-handed tip which fell untouched to Tyler’s side of the court.
“It’s my job to be there when the ball is coming over the net,” Pattschull said. “There was so much adrenaline flowing during that third set, and when I saw that ball coming I knew I just had to meet it at the net and shut it down.”
Newman’s strong night included a team-high 10 kills, while Pattschull followed with nine and Dorotik added eight. Freshman setters Chloe Howard and Elizabeth Tyner shared setting duties and distributed 16 and 14 assists. The Bucs also had a strong night at the service line, where they knocked down eight aces. Kliafas had three, and Dorotik and Pesak each had a pair.
(Pictured: Blinn’s Brooke Pattschull tips the ball over the net during a match against Tyler Junior College on Oct. 4, 2023)
On defense, 10 different Bucs had at least one dig for Blinn, with Pesak leading the way with seven. Pattschull collected six total blocks – three solo and three assists. Sophomore blocker/hitter Don’Yah Cosie had three solo blocks.
“I told the girls during a timeout late in the third set that if we stuck to our gameplan blocking-wise, we’d win the set,” Gamble added. “They answered that challenge with some big blocks and a big play to end it.”
At 8-2 in the region standings, Blinn trails only first-place Navarro College (9-1) with six regular-season matches remaining.
“That was a tough Tyler team that we beat twice this season, and further proof that we play in one of the toughest regions in the country,” Gamble said. “Really proud of the girls tonight.”
The Bucs resume play with a region road match at Coastal Bend College at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7, in Beeville, Texas.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 44 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
