#13-BUC VOLLEYBALL SWEEPS TRINITY VALLEY
Jayde Shelton and Ashley Taylor combine for 26 kills
BRENHAM, Texas — The No. 13 Blinn College volleyball team swept Trinity Valley Community College, 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-19), Thursday night in the Kruse Center to stay undefeated.
With the win, the Buccaneers improved their overall record to 10-0 and conference record to 4-0.
(Tara Dreyer)
“Tonight was an effort win because we didn’t play as well as we normally do, but our effort took us over the top,” head coach Terry Gamble said. “We have high-skill level kids on the team who can do some good thing, so that always helps too. Ashley Taylor did a nice job in the middle and Lixai Perez Velez did a nice job late in the match with some digs.”
Jayde Shelton led Blinn with 16 kills, while Taylor recorded a season-high 10 kills and led Blinn with a .600 hitting percentage and three block assists. Loren Scott tallied 40 assists, while Perez Velez and Tatum Smidovec each totaled 14 digs apiece to lead Blinn.
“Our energy is what brought us together and kept us moving in this match when things weren’t necessarily going right,” Shelton said. “Having Loren as our setter is great. When she came to our team it honestly brought our entire team together and our chemistry and connection with her is really amazing.”
(Tara Dreyer)
The Buccaneers opened the first set with a 7-4 lead after Clerkley recorded a kill and ace. Taylor kept things rolling as she led Blinn on a 7-1 run with two kills and three block assists for the Buccaneers to lead 14-7. They held on to the lead until they ended the set on a 4-1 run.
Blinn opened the second set with an 11-2 lead following two straight kills by Shelton. Taylor came up with two kills in the midst of a 6-2 run to keep the Buccaneers ahead 2o-11. Trinity Valley worked its way back into the game with a 4-0 run, but Clerkley tipped the ball for the Buccaneers’ final point and to win the set 25-19.
The Lady Cardinals and Buccaneers played a closer third set. With the match tied 14-14, Scott and Taylor each had block assists, and Shelton had a crucial kill that helped Blinn pull ahead 19-16 for good. Trinity Valley came up on Blinn 23-19, but then made two errors for the Buccaneers to win the set, 25-19.
Next, the Buccaneers will travel to Coastal Bend College on Friday, March 5, where they will take on Ranger College in a nonconference game at 2 p.m. and Coastal Bend in a conference game at 4 p.m.
For more information, visit www.buccaneersports.com.
(COURTESY: Tara Dreyer, Blinn College)