The Blinn College volleyball team completed a perfect run at the Amarillo Tournament on Saturday in Amarillo, Texas, picking up two victories over Amarillo College and Independence Community College for a 4-0 tournament mark.
The Buccaneers pushed their winning streak to 13 while also reaching the 20-win benchmark for the eighth consecutive season. Blinn is now 20-2 overall.
The Bucs outlasted Amarillo 21-25, 25-13, 25-17, 25-8 in their first match on Saturday and capped the day with a 25-10, 25-14, 25-11 sweep of Independence.
Saturday’s action capped a stretch that saw Blinn play seven matches in five days.
“The girls played really well today,” Blinn head coach Terry Gamble said. “We had a let up in one set that hurt us in the Amarillo match, but we bounced back in the second match. This was a really tough week with us playing a lot of matches, but I’m really proud of the girls for how they played all week.”
Blinn took care of business against Amarillo following a tough start to the match.
NJCAA Division I kills leader and sophomore right-side hitter (358 total) played a big part in the Bucs’ recovery as she paced her team’s offense with 22 kills. Freshman outside hitters Greta Rakow and MaKenna Loo tacked on nine and eight kills, respectively, while freshman blockers Jana Cetkovic and Rosalinda Navarro added seven apiece.
Freshman setter Leah Hoss was Blinn’s key distributor as she handed out 29 set assists. Freshman setter Bromli Watson chipped in 13 assists.
At the service line, Loo was a force with four aces.
On defense, freshman libero Sophie Ilagan provided stellar floor defense with 15 digs, with a solid effort from Loo (12) behind her.
At the net, Cetkovic recorded four block assists, Dorotik had three, and Navarro posted two.
In its second bout of the day, Blinn rode the combined hitting efforts of Dorotik and Loo while benefiting from a well-rounded defensive performance.
Dorotik and Loo tallied 11 kills apiece. Freshman outside hitter Shiloh Jones added seven. Hoss and Watson kept the offense moving with 20 and 16 set assists, respectively. Loo added three aces at the service line.
On the floor, Ilagan had a team-high 12 digs and was supported with seven for sophomore libero Kirby Kliafas, six for Loo, five for Hoss, three for freshman setter Avelyn Ireland, and a pair for sophomore libero Cierra Pesak.
Blinn’s net defense saw Cetkovic notch three block assists, while Dorotik and Loo each pitched in a pair.
Blinn returns to the hardwood with a Region XIV road match against No. 18 Navarro College at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17, in Corsicana, Texas.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 49 national championships since 1987.
