BLINN SUFFERS TOUGH LOSS TO NO. 10 NEW MEXICO AT KRUSE KICKOFF CLASSIC BEFORE SCORING BIG WIN OVER NO. 8 ODESSA

The 15th-ranked Buccaneers conclude the Classic with games against No. 14 Daytona State, No. 2 Miami Dade on Saturday

Day two of the Kruse Kickoff Classic was both a learning and rewarding experience for the Blinn College volleyball team.

A tough three-set loss at the hands of No. 10 New Mexico Junior College preceded an impressive rebound for the Buccaneers as they capped their day with a thrilling-five set victory over eighth-ranked Odessa College on Friday at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.

“I thought we learned a lot today and hopefully we can learn from the little mistakes that we made,” Blinn head coach Terry Gamble said. “I was proud of the girls for finishing with a really big win over Odessa; they are a really good team.”

Though the Bucs dropped their first contest of the day, they played New Mexico closely as the match went the way of the Thunderbirds 27-25, 25-19, 26-24.

Gamble praised the play of hitters Kellen Dorotik and MaKenna Loo, two hitters he said helped the Bucs stay in Friday’s first tilt and win the second.

Against New Mexico, Dorotik (sophomore) registered 14 kills to go with three block assists. Loo added 10 kills, a service ace, six digs, and two block assists.

Freshman setter Bromli Watson distributed 21 set assists and had seven digs, while freshman libero Sophie Ilagan matched her with seven digs. Freshman Makaila Piggee paced the Bucs with five block assists.

In closing out the day, Blinn won its first two sets against Odessa before fending off the Wranglers to secure a 25-22, 26-24, 25-27, 22-25, 15-13 win. 

While Dorotik (18 kills) and Loo (14) again paced the Buccaneer attack, freshmen hitters Rosalinda Navarro and Greta Rakow followed with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Rakow also had six aces. 

Watson kept the offensive moving with 36 assists while freshman setter Leah Hoss dished out 15. 

Ilagan and Loo anchored Blinn’s defense with 20 digs apiece, followed by 12 for sophomore libero Ciera Pesak. Navarro had a strong performance at the net with a pair of solo blocks and four block assists. Loo, Dorotik, and Jana Cetkovic each had a solo block.  

Blinn concludes the Classic with two matches on Saturday: an 11 a.m. tilt against No. 14 Daytona State College followed by a 5 p.m. clash with second-ranked Miami Dade College.

Story Courtesy of:
Joe Alberico                    
Blinn Sports Information Specialist