BUC VOLLEYBALL OPENS SEASON WITH SWEEP OVER TEMPLE
Freshman Jayde Shelton leads Bucs with 11 kills
The Blinn College volleyball team (1-0) swept Temple College, 3-0 (27-25, 25-10, 25-23) in the season-opening match Tuesday night in the Kruse Center.
“I was extremely disappointed in our ball control and defense, but we are going to grow and get better,” head coach Terry Gamble said. “I thought our middles, Essence Clerkley and Ashley Taylor did really good, and that Jayde Shelton was extremely good. I thought those three controlled the match offensively and came up with big plays, and we expect that.”
(Tara Dreyer)
Shelton led the Buccaneers with 11 kills, while Clerkley led Blinn in hitting percentage (.642) and had nine kills, two digs and two blocks. Chard’e Vanzandt tallied seven kills in the win.
Loren Scott led with 26 assists and Lixai Perez Velez led with nine digs. Tatum Smidovec followed with five digs.
“We had good leadership on the court tonight, and when we needed to pick it up, we just did it,” Clerkley said. “We have great chemistry and I love this team.”
Blinn and Temple played a close first set, and the Lady Leopards held a 21-20 lead toward the end. Taylor and Vandzandt made a crucial block to even the score. The next two times Temple grabbed the lead, Shelton came up with kills to tie things back up. The Lady Leopards kept fighting to gain a 25-24 lead, but Clerkley and Vanzandt each came up with kills to lead by one. Temple’s error gave the Buccaneers a 27-25 win.
(Tara Dreyer)
Blinn ran off with an 18-6 lead in the second set as Vanzandt scored three straight points in an 8-0 run. Shelton came up with kills to score three of Blinn’s last four points for the 25-10 win.
In the third set, a 6-0 run allowed Blinn to hold an 11-6 advantage. Temple came back to tie the set 13-13, but Blinn went on a 4-0 run to take the lead back. The Lady Leopards worked their way back into the set when they evened the score 23-23. Shelton came up with a kill to put Blinn on top for good, and Clerkley delivered a block for the 25-23 win.
Next, the Buccaneers will play in the Western Texas College Tournament in Snyder on Friday, Jan. 29. Blinn will take on Western Texas College at 9 a.m. and Midland College at 1 p.m.
For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.
(COURTESY: Tara Dreyer, Blinn Information)