BLINN BEATS TYLER 3-2 TO FINISH CONFERENCE UNBEATEN
Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information
It was a fitting night for a scare, and the eighth-ranked Blinn College volleyball team got one in the form of Tyler Junior College on Thursday.
And yet, after the Halloween hijinks came to an end, it was the Buccaneers who stood tall in Tyler, Texas.
Blinn watched its two-set lead over the Apaches unravel into a five-game thriller, only to fight back for a 25-19, 25-21, 27-29, 20-25, 15-12 victory in both teams' Region XIV and regular-season finale.
With the win, the Buccaneers (36-2, 14-0 Region XIV) completed a perfect region run for the first time since 2021 and pushed their winning streak to 29 matches.
"We struggled at times tonight on things that we've specifically practiced, so we need to get better in those areas," Blinn head coach Terry Gamble said. "With that said, I thought Tyler played a great match and it was really good to get this win tonight."
After Tyler forced the decisive first-to-15 fifth set, it was in prime position to earn the upset after building a 12-10 lead.
However, the Bucs proceeded to go on a match-ending run kickstarted by a boundary-hugging kill from sophomore right-side hitter Kellen Dorotik. The very next rally was again ended by Dorotik after she executed a perfect block to tie the match. Blinn took the lead for good moments later when Tyler was unable to return the Bucs' serve, instead sending it into the net.
A nifty sequence ensued during the next rally after freshman outside hitter Greta Rakow gathered an over-the-net bump from the Apaches' Aaliyah Snead. Rakow passed the ball to Hoss, who immediately set it back to Rakow for a kill inside Tyler's end line.
Freshman outside hitter MaKenna Loo then stepped to the end line for the final serve of the night and delivered an ace to give the Bucs the win.
Offensively, Dorotik and Loo were spectacular for Blinn, finishing with 27 and 25 kills, respectively. Hoss fed the Bucs' hitters tremendously with a team-high 34 set assists, followed by an impressive 25 for fellow freshman Bromli Watson.
Blinn finished with 10 service aces, led by five for Rakow.
Sophomore libero Cierra Pesak had another sparkling defensive night as she protected the floor to the tune of 25 digs. Loo followed with 18, Hoss had 13, and freshman libero Sophie Ilagan tallied 11.
At the net, Rakow, Karabasz, and freshman middle blocker Lillie Thibodeaux had one solo block apiece, while freshman middie blocker Jana Cetkovic chipped in a block assist.
With the regular season in the books, Blinn now turns its attention to the Region XIV Tournament. The Bucs will host the competition as the top seed in the eight-team bracket when play begins at 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, at the Kruse Center on the Blinn-Brenham Campus. Blinn and second-seeded Navarro College will have a first- and second-round bye before beginning play in the semifinal round on day two of the tournament.
For more information regarding the region tournament, visit www.buccaneersports.com/sports/2024/10/24/2024-region-xiv-volleyball-tournament.aspx