BLINN VOLLEYBALL FALLS ON THE ROAD TO TRINITY VALLEY
Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information
No. 7 Blinn College volleyball dropped a Region 14 road tilt to No. 15 Trinity Valley Community College on Tuesday in Athens, Texas.
The Cardinals defeated the Buccaneers 25-19, 25-16, 32-30.
The Buccaneers fell to 17-3 overall and 0-2 in region play.
Freshman hitter Nevaeh English and sophomore middle blocker Alana Asante led the Bucs with eight kills apiece, while freshman hitter Akira Smallwood added seven. Freshman setter Valerie Yambao recorded 18 assists, and freshman setter Skylar Herring added 15. Yambao also served two aces.
Sophomore libero/defensive specialist Natalia Silva led Blinn with eight digs, followed by freshman libero/defensive specialist Karolynn Youngblood with five and Yambao with four. Freshman middle blocker Kansas Lamar recorded three block assists, while sophomore hitter/setter Kassandra De La Garza added a solo block.
The Bucs are still adjusting to the absence of injured sophomore standout hitter McKynzee Beddes, and several players are seeing increased playing time as a result.
"We had a lot of unforced errors, and we moved the scoreboard for them in every set," Blinn head coach Gregg Whitis said. "When you're trying to play a different lineup than we're accustomed to, that's to be expected."
The Bucs started well and controlled most of the first set before receiving and hitting errors began to mount.
"We started out well and controlled most of the first set, but we started making receiving errors and hitting errors … really errors of every kind: touching net, serving and hitting the ball out of bounds," Whitis said.
Despite the loss, Whitis was encouraged by the players who stepped up in the third set, particularly those who have not seen extensive playing time.
"Still, I was encouraged by the kids we had on the court in the third set," he said.
Whitis said Smallwood continues to develop while praising freshman hitter Nicky'Anna Miles for her impact off the bench.
"Akira Smallwood continues to grow and learn," Whitis said. "Nicky'Anna Miles came in and gave us a big shot in the arm. She's athletic and tries hard. She earned another opportunity."
The Bucs are navigating adversity, but Whitis said he was pleased with the team's continued effort.
"We're facing adversity, so not everything goes great all of the time," he said. "I was encouraged by how we kept trying. You love having kids who don't roll over. The kids who played tough for us late in the match haven't been on the court a lot, so that was good to see."
Whitis emphasized that the loss itself isn't what concerns him, but rather how the team responds.
"No shame in losing; the only shame comes from when you don't give a good account of yourself," he said. "We'll just get back to work tomorrow."
Blinn returns to action with a region home match against Navarro College at 6 p.m. Thursday.