BLINN DROPS OPENER AT NATIONAL TOURNAMENT

Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information

The Blinn College volleyball team's run in the NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championship didn't begin as planned Wednesday.

The Buccaneers, ranked sixth nationally and seeded fourth in the 16-team tournament, fell to 13th-seeded Colby Community College 25-20, 25-16, 25-20 in the opening round at the Winfield Dunn Center in Clarksville, Tenn.

Blinn (38-3) lost for the first time since Aug. 31, ending a streak of 31 consecutive wins.

The Bucs drop to the consolation bracket, where they will look to win out and secure ninth place. Blinn will face a familiar foe in Region XIV rival Trinity Valley Community College at 1 p.m. on Thursday.

The Bucs never quite got out of first gear against Colby, hindering themselves with 11 total attack errors and 14 miscues in serve receive. 

Freshman outside hitter MaKenna Loo paced Blinn's offense with 11 kills, followed by nine for sophomore right-side hitter Kellen Dorotik.

Freshman setters Bromli Watson and Leah Hoss handed out 12 and 10 set assists, respectively. 

On defense, sophomore libero Cierra Pesak total a team-high 10 digs, while Hoss and freshman outside hitter Greta Rakow tacked on seven apiece. At the net, Watson and freshman middle blockers Jana Cetkovic and Karolina Karabasz each finished with three block assists, while Karabasz had one solo.