WEST PLAINS, Mo. — The seventh-ranked Blinn College volleyball team earned fifth place at the NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championship after upsetting second-ranked Odessa College, 3-1 (25-22, 18-25, 25-13, and 25-23), on Saturday in the West Plains Civic Center.
With the win, the Buccaneers ended the year with a 27-3 record.
“We beat a very good and talented team today, and I couldn’t be prouder of this group of young ladies,” head coach Terry Gamble said. “To finish the season beating the No. 2 team in the country is a good way to complete a good season. I am blessed to coach this team and be part of Blinn athletics.”
Jayde Shelton led the Buccaneers with 20 kills, while Essence Clerkley, Chard’e Vanzandt and Ashley Taylor each tallied 11. Loren Scott put up a team-high 43 assists and two aces.
Four Buccaneers recorded double-digit digs as Lixai Perez Velez led the way with 16. Scott recorded a season-high 14 digs, while Kyndal Coufal racked up 13 and Tatum Smidovec recorded 11. Taylor led the Buccaneers with five block assists, while Shelton had four and Clerkley recorded three.
“Playing at nationals was an absolute blast, and every last few minutes with this team was precious and we made sure to capitalize on that thought the entire tournament,” Clerkley said. “While we were there, we showed our grit and made every team we played work for every point they got. I think the last win today came from the heart and we wanted to make the most of our last time together.”
Odessa opened the match with a 10-3 lead in the first set, but Clerkley sparked the offense with two kills for the Buccaneers to close in on the Wranglers 10-6. Vanzandt and Shelton combined for three kills as the Buccaneers went on a 6-0 run to trail 14-13. Back-to-back kills by Shelton evened the score 16-16. The lead went back and forth until Taylor recorded a kill and a block assist for Blinn to lead 24-22, and the Buccaneers won on an attack error by Odessa, 25-22.
Odessa evened the match with a 25-18 victory after leading the majority of the second set. The Wranglers pulled ahead 16-9 to start the set. Shelton recorded three kills to lead Blinn on a 5-2 run and for the Buccaneers to trail 18-15, but the Wranglers were able to end the set on a 6-2 run for the win.
The Buccaneers combined for a .556 hitting percentage in the third set to down Odessa 25-13 and take back the lead in the match. Four kills by Shelton helped Blinn jump out to an 11-4 lead. Back-to-back errors on Odessa put Blinn on top 15-6 and Vanzandt recorded two straight kills to keep the Buccaneers on top 17-9. Clerkley’s kill gave Blinn a 23-13 lead and two Wrangler mistakes gave the Buccaneers the win.
In the fourth set, Odessa jumped out to an 11-6 lead. Shelton and Clerkley combined for three kills in a 5-0 run for Blinn to grab a 15-14 lead. However, the Wranglers came back to lead 23-18. The Buccaneers finished strong with seven straight points as Clerkley and Taylor each recorded one kill, and Vanzandt recorded two, for Blinn to win the final set.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
