BLINN VOLLEYBALL SWEEPS HILL COLLEGE 3-0 IN HOME OPENER
Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information
No. 12 Blinn College volleyball kept its unbeaten run intact with a sweep of Hill College in its home opener Tuesday at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.
The Buccaneers earned a 25-17, 25-16, 25-22 victory for their fifth consecutive sweep.
“I was happy to get the sweep in our first home match of the season,” Blinn head coach Gregg Whitis said. “We’re still struggling a bit with errors and violations, but the players – especially the sophomores – know that they have to step up and be better, and they will be.”
The Rebels gave the Bucs a fight, but Blinn (5-0) managed to find separation in the middle portion of each set.
In the opening set, Hill jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the two teams found themselves locked in a 14-all tie. Bucs sophomore hitter Aliyah Harris then spiked a kill off Hill’s double block to send Blinn on an 11-3 set-ending run.
A Harris block followed by a Rebels error ended the set in Blinn’s favor.
The second set featured another back-and-forth battle that resulted in a 14-14 deadlock. Freshman middle blocker London King denied a Hill spike at the net to give the Bucs the lead for good as Blinn went on an 11-2 surge to take a two-set lead.
Freshman setter Valerie Yambao set sophomore hitter McKynzee Beddes up on the outside for the set-winning kill.
“The key for us tonight was having a short memory if we made a mistake,” Yambao said. “Coach always tells us to focus on the next play, and I think it was that mentality that allowed us to work for the next point.”
Hill attempted to stave off the sweep in the decisive third set, but a late Bucs run helped bring out the brooms.
A Rebels block pulled the visitors within 20-19, but the Bucs answered with a 4-1 burst. Freshman hitter Nevaeh English scored a pair of kills from the opposite side, while a Hill violation and hitting error pushed the Bucs to the finish line. English then tacked on another kill to end the match.
Harris finished with a team-high 12 kills, while Beddes had eight and English added five.
Yambao and freshman setter Skylar Herring dished out 15 and 11 assists, respectively.
At the service line, freshman libero/defensive specialist Karolynn Youngblood had two aces.
Defensively, Blinn’s floor defense was anchored by nine digs from Yambao and seven from Herring.
The Bucs also had a strong defensive showing at the net with 10 total blocks, including 18 block assists. King and English led the effort with five block assists apiece. Sophomore middle blocker Alana Asante contributed four blocks, including a solo block, and Harris had one solo and one assist.
Up next, Blinn will play its first of two home tournaments when it begins the Kruse Kickoff Classic against Eastern Florida State College at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Kruse Center. The Bucs will then take on No. 15 Indian Hills Community College at 11 a.m. and No. 2 Florida SouthWestern State College at 5 p.m. Friday. On Saturday, Blinn battles Daytona State College at 11 a.m. and McLennan Community College at 5 p.m.