#14 BLINN VOLLEYBALL LOSES IN FOUR SETS TO #13 TRINITY VALLEY
The 14th-ranked Blinn College volleyball team dropped a Region XIV match against Trinity Valley Community College in four sets Tuesday at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.
The 25-19, 25-17, 16-25, 26-24 setback dropped the Buccaneers to 12-3 on the season and 1-2 in the Region XIV standings.
"I'm proud of my team because they didn't quit — we haven't quit all year — and we'll keep working to clean up some mistakes that we made," Blinn head coach Terry Gamble said. "Trinity Valley is a really good team. They've been competitive for as long as I've been competing against them, they're well-coached, and this loss is one of those things that just happens. We're young and we just need to keep plugging away and getting better."
Sophomore hitter Kierslynn Wright posted a team-high 22 kills for the Buccaneers, pushing her into the NJCAA Division I lead for total kills with 202. Wright jumped ahead of Navarro College's Hanna Tylska, who has 201. Navarro was off on Tuesday.
Freshman hitter LaNeah Lara followed Wright with 16 kills, and freshman Taylor Glendening chipped in nine. Freshman setter Kelsi Wingo had a big night with 43 assists.
On defense, sophomore libero Ellie Turner drew praise from Gamble following a 37-dig night. Freshman Emily Hardee added 15 digs, Wingo tallied 14, Wright had eight, and Lara and freshman Kaylen Kruse posted seven apiece.
Turner is also among the NJCAA's best, as she currently sits in third place in total digs this season with 316. Indian Hills' Sasha Vidal leads the nation with 321 digs, while Mia Yamamoto of New Mexico Military Institute is just ahead of Turner with 319.
Next up, Blinn hits the road for a region tilt against Lee College at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 7, in Baytown, Texas.