The Buccaneers improved to 9-1 on the year while earning their first conference win of the season, jumping to 1-1 in Region XIV.
Though Blinn ousted the Cougars in three sets, Buccaneers head coach Terry Gamble said his team still has plenty of room for improvement moving forward.
“I think we still need to get a lot better,” Gamble said. “We’re winning, but we’re not playing very well through stretches. Some of it’s youth and some of it’s focus, but we have to get better if we’re going to compete.”
Though the Buccaneers looked rough around the edges in the opening set of Thursday’s tilt, the hosts used an 8-3 to turn a 17-all tie into a win.
Freshman outside hitter LaNeah Lara snuck a kill inside the right sideline to seal the set.
“I still think we aren’t playing to our full potential,” Lara said. “I see a lot more potential in this team than how we played today. We still need to work hard to be better than we were today, than we will be tomorrow, the next day, and next week.”
Blinn came to life in the second set when Lara ignited a 13-3 run with a kill, turning a 5-4 disadvantage into a 17-8 cushion. Lara and sophomore hitter Kierslynn Wright, who each tallied a team-best 13 kills, finished off the set with back-to-back kills.
Wright made her presence known in the decisive third set, knocking down six kills across the Bucs’ final seven points to cement the sweep. Much like the second set, Blinn used a big run, this time a 14-4 surge, to put Coastal Bend away.
(Pictured: Blinn College’s Kierslynn Wright, far right, spikes the ball against Coastal Bend College on Thursday)
“I always want the ball, I always want to win, I’m always pushing myself, and I couldn’t do what I do with the girls around me,” Wright said. “I’m always asking (freshman setter) Kelsi (Wingo) for the ball, and that’s just an aggressiveness that comes from wanting this team to win and be the best.”
Blinn also did damage at the service line, where sophomore libero Ellie Turner and freshmen Kaylen Kruse and Madison Gundry delivered two, two, and one ace, respectively.
On defense, Turner posted 24 digs while freshman libero Emily Hardee chipped in 13.
(Pictured: Blinn College’s Ellie Turner receives a serve during a match against Coastal Bend College on Thursday)
The Buccaneers get back to work when it hosts the Kruse Kickoff Classic. Blinn opens the tournament against Weatherford College at 1 p.m., Friday, Sept. 2, at the Kruse Center. The Bucs will also take on Frank Phillips College at 5 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday, Sept. 3, Blinn faces Odessa College at 11 a.m. and Hill College at 5 p.m. to close out the tournament.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.
