The Buccaneers recovered from a 2-1 set deficit to win three straight and claim a 25-22, 19-25, 19-25, 25-23, 15-9 victory on its home court.
Blinn is now 23-4 overall and 4-2 in region play.
“We defeated a really good team tonight,” said Bucs head coach Terry Gamble, who was honored prior to Tuesday’s match for earning his 1,000th coaching victory on Aug. 20. “I’m really proud of the girls. We never quit and that is the attitude the girls have played with all year.”
That was the case in the fourth set as neither team seemed able to pull away from the other. However, with Navarro on the brink of a four-set win and the teams deadlocked at 23-all, Blinn found life in the form of freshman hitter LaNeah Lara. The outside threat drilled a kill to the hardwood before a Navarro error pushed the match to a decisive fifth game.
In the final set, the teams again went blow-for-blow until freshman middle blocker Taylor Glendening spiked a kill to the middle of the Navarro court to ignite a game-ending 9-3 run for the Bucs.
a match against Navarro on Tuesday)
Freshman hitter Zuzia Rut sent a tip over the net on the final volley of the night, and the Bulldogs misplayed it to seal the match.
Lara led Blinn with a 21-kill performance, followed by 16 from Wright. Two of the best hitters in the country, Wright (366) and Lara (301) are currently ranked first and second, respectively, in NJCAA Division I in kills.
Glendening chipped in six kills.
(Pictured: Blinn College’s Kierslynn Wright, center, sends a spike over the net during a match against Navarro on Tuesday)
Freshman setter Darby Nash was a pivotal part of the offense with 30 set assists, while fellow freshman Kelsi Wingo had seven. Wright had three aces from the service line and sophomore libero Ellie Turner delivered two.
Turner had a strong defensive showing with 27 digs, with Wright tallying 13 and Nash and freshman libero Emily Hardee picking up nine apiece. Freshman Kaylen Kruse posted six.
(Pictured: Blinn College’s Darby Nash sets the ball during a match against Navarro on Tuesday)
Blinn returns to the court for a region road matchup against Panola College on Thursday, Sept. 22, in Carthage, Texas.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
