15-BUC VOLLEYBALL SWEEPS BLINN INVITATIONAL
No. 15 Blinn College volleyball (23-1) swept Frank Phillips College and St. Clair County Community College to conclude the Blinn Invitational with a 4-0 record on Saturday at the Kruse Center.
Blinn started the day with a win over Frank Phillips, 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-13), before defeating St. Clair County, 3-0 (25-7, 25-9, 25-13).
“I thought the girls played good all weekend and now it is time to get ready for conference play,” said Terry Gamble, Blinn head coach.
Blinn 3 – Frank Phillips 0
Essence Clerkley and Rachel Barnett combined for 21 kills in Blinn’s sweep over Frank Phillips, 3-0.
Jenni Liu chipped in on offense with 38 assists, while Brooke Borden was strong on defense with 14 digs.
Blinn leaped to a 25-13 victory to open the match 1-0. In the second set, Barnett and Taylor Henderson combined for nine kills to lead the Buccaneers to a 25-17 win. Blinn kept the energy moving into the third set to claim a 25-13 victory for the sweep.
Blinn 3 – St. Clair County 0
Blinn claimed its eighth straight sweep by defeating St. Clair County, 3-0, to conclude the tournament.
Giulia Hortelan led Blinn’s offense with nine kills, while Borden led the defense with seven digs.
Blinn jumped on top of St. Clair County, 25-7, to start the match. Clerkley and Liu combined for six aces in the second set to help the Buccaneers win 25-9. In the final set, Hortelan and Clerkley racked up 10 kills for a 25-13 victory.
FRIDAY
Blinn 3 – New Mexico JC 0
The Buccaneers claimed their 20th win of the season with a sweep over New Mexico, 3-0.
Henderson led Blinn’s defense with four blocks and two block assists, while Hortelan recorded 12 digs and Brooke Borden followed with 11. On offense, Jenni Liu totaled 33 assists, while Clerkley led the Buccaneers with 11 kills.
Blinn and New Mexico went head-to-head in the first two sets, but the Buccaneers managed to pull ahead 2-0 in the match by defeating the Thunderbirds, 25-19 and 25-23. In the third set, Clerkley led the offense with six kills to help Blinn break away for a 25-15 win.
Blinn 3 – DuPage 0
Blinn closed out the first day of the tournament with a win over DuPage, 3-0.
Clerkley and Hortelan led the offense with eight kills apiece, while Hortelan also tallied 11 digs. Henderson led Blinn with five block assists.
Blinn jumped out to a 25-15 lead in the first set to lead the match 1-0. The momentum rolled into the second set for the Buccaneers to grab a 17-point lead (25-8). Blinn’s offense continued to roll into the final set as Hortelan led with four kills and four aces for Blinn to claim a 25-13 win.
Next, Blinn will open conference play on the road against Lee College on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 6 p.m.
(COURTESY: Tara Dreyer, Blinn Information)