#20 BLINN DEFEATS #13 EASTERN WYOMING 3-1 AT KRUSE CLASSIC
Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information
The Blinn College volleyball team thought its night was over.
After the 20th-ranked and host Buccaneers appeared to secure match point against No. 13 Eastern Wyoming College on Thursday, a delayed net violation call against Blinn kickstarted a wild finish to a tense battle that saw the hosts prevail 25-13, 23-25, 25-15, 33-31 over the Lancers in the Kruse Kickoff opener at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.
The match looked to be finished when sophomore outside hitter Kaliko Schilling secured a block to make it 25-23. After Blinn (7-0) began celebrating, however, the first referee ruled Schilling was in the net and awarded the point to Eastern Wyoming.
What ensued was a back-and-forth battle which lasted several minutes and forced the Bucs to stave off match point and a fifth set five times.
“At the end there, Eastern Wyoming had all of the advantage trying to push for a fifth set,” Bucs head coach Gregg Whitis said, “and we’re playing tentatively trying not to go to a fifth set. It’s a game of momentum, so I was pleased with how we responded and hung onto the rope. We are pretty gritty in that regard.”
It wasn’t until Schilling drilled a kill off a double block to tie the decisive set that Blinn took control for good.
The Lancers put the Bucs back into position for the win when they committed a four hits violation, and freshman opposite hitter Annika Brooks put the game away for good when she walloped a kill to the Eastern Wyoming hardwood.
“We just wanted the win; nobody wanted to go back out there for a fifth set … we wanted to end it in four,” Brooks said. “Thinking it was over only to have to go back and finish it out again, it was tough, but I think in that moment we felt more together as a team that we have all season, and that was pretty special.”
Blinn played a solid match for most of the night, stumbling only briefly when the Bucs surrendered a 15-6 lead in the second set that allowed Eastern Wyoming to rally for the win.
Blinn answered with a strong third set in which it never trailed.
The fourth set was a nail-biter from the beginning, with the thrilling ending serving as a fitting conclusion.
Blinn’s offense was led by NJCAA Division I kills leader and sophomore outside hitter Olivia Stringer, who racked up 16 on the night. She was followed by 13 from Schilling and six apiece for Brooks and sophomore middle blocker Jana Cetkovic.
Sophomore setter Leah Hoss kept the Blinn offense moving with 27 set assists, and freshman Camden Bizot added 19.
At the service line, Bizot had two of the Bucs’ six aces.
Defensively, Schilling and Stringer were solid on the floor with 13 and 12 digs, respectively. At the net, Blinn had one of its best blocking performances of the early season with three solo blocks and 36 block assists. Brooks had 12 assists, sophomore middle blocker Karolina Karabasz had 11, and Stringer, Schilling, and sophomore hitter Shiloh Jones had one solo block apiece. The Bucs get right back to work in the Classic when they take on Western Texas College at 11 a.m. on Friday. Blinn will also battle Collin College at 5 p.m. on Friday.