BLINN MOVES TO ONE WIN FROM REGION XIV CROWN AFTER BEATING COASTAL BEND

Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information

The No. 9 Blinn College volleyball team is on the verge of capturing the Region XIV regular-season crown, and a region road sweep of Coastal Bend College on Tuesday got them a little closer to the finish line. 

The Buccaneers picked up a 25-16, 25-11, 25-11 victory in Beeville, Texas.

Blinn is now 33-2 overall, with defeat beginning to feel like a distant memory. The Bucs moved to 11-0 in region play and are on a 26-game winning streak. Blinn hasn't lost since Aug. 31.

Though the Bucs got the job done against the Cougars, head coach Terry Gamble said he wants to see a little more out of his team before they host 14th-ranked Navarro College on Thursday. 

"It's always good to get a road win," Gamble said, "but we came out a little flat tonight and we'll have to play a lot better if we want to have a chance on Thursday."

Per the region standings, Navarro (9-2) and No. 13 Trinity Valley Community College (8-3) are the only remaining threats to a Blinn region title. Navarro inched ahead of Trinity Valley with a four-set victory over the Cardinals on Tuesday but will need to take down the Bucs to keep its chances at first place alive. Blinn takes on the Bulldogs at 6 p.m. on Thursday at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas, and hosts Trinity Valley on Tuesday, Oct. 29. A Blinn win over Navarro would give the Bucs the region crown and the top seed in the upcoming Region XIV Tournament.

Before the Bucs could turn their attention to Thursday's pivotal matchup, they cruised past Coastal Bend for their 12th consecutive sweep and 26th of the season. Blinn has not dropped a set since outlasting Navarro in five games on Sept. 17.

Against the Cougars, sophomore right-side hitter Kellen Dorotik posted a team-high 18 kills to lead the Blinn offense. Her total gives her 530 on the year as she continues to lead all hitters in NJCAA Division I.

Freshman outside hitters Greta Rakow and MaKenna Loo, along with freshman middle block Jana Cetkovic, followed Dorotik with seven, six, and five kills, respectively. 

Freshman setters Leah Hoss and Bromli Watson kept the Bucs' attack moving with 22 and 10 set assists. At the service line, Hoss paced her team with three aces.

Sophomore libero Cierra Pesak had 10 digs to pace Blinn's floor defense, with Loo chipping in eight. At the net, Loo and freshman middle blocker Karolina Karabasz had three block assists apiece, while Cetkovic added a pair. Rakow added one solo block and one assist.