Just 24 hours after picking up its first Region XIV victory of the season, the 13th-ranked Blinn College volleyball team wasted no time in earning its second.
Behind another dazzling performance from NJCAA Division I kills leader Kellen Dorotik and an inspiring effort from the Buccaneers’ net defense, Blinn swept Lee College 25-13, 25-8, 25-15 on Wednesday in Baytown, Texas.
“I thought we played well all evening,” Bucs head coach Terry Gamble said. “We only had a couple lapses, and we did what we were supposed to do. Kellen had a great night, MaKenna (Loo) played really well, and I thought Leah (Hoss) set a great match. It’s always good to get a conference road win.”
Dorotik had a team-high 22 kills for Blinn (9-2, 2-0 Region XIV) as she continued her early-season tear. Wednesday night’s performance gave her three matches with 21 kills or more, and she currently leads all NJCAA hitters with 177. The sophomore outside hitter is currently on pace to surpass the 514 kills she tallied in 2023, which earned her second-team All-America honors.
Freshman hitter MaKenna Loo added six kills combined with a strong defensive performance on the floor, where she notched a team-leading 13 digs.
In the center of the offense was Hoss, who dished out 25 set assists while providing a defensive boost with 11 digs. Freshman libero Sophie Ilagan had three service aces and added nine digs.
Blinn swept Wharton County Junior College at home on Tuesday, but Gamble stressed the need for his defense to boost its blocking efforts moving forward. The Bucs answered the call with 14 block assists.
Dorotik had four, freshman middle blockers Rosalinda Navarro and Jana Cetkovic tacked on three apiece, and freshman hitter Greta Rako added two.
Blinn takes a break from region play this weekend as it travels to the North Central Texas Tournament in Gainesville, Texas. The Bucs open the tournament Friday with matchups against Dallas College-Brookhaven (11 a.m.) and McCook Community College (5 p.m.).
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 49 national championships since 1987.
