BLINN VOLLEYBALL OPENS REGION XIV TOURNAMENT WITH A WIN OVER LEE
(Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information)
The No. 18 Blinn College volleyball team advanced to the Region 14 Tournament semifinals with a four-set victory over Lee College on Friday in Baytown, Texas.
The Buccaneers defeated the Navigators 26-24, 20-25, 25-20, 26-24 in the quarterfinal round and will face No. 6 Trinity Valley Community College at 3 p.m. Saturday for a spot in the tournament championship match.
Blinn is attempting to earn a berth in the NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championship Tournament for a seventh consecutive season. A victory over Trinity Valley would send the Bucs to the Region 14 Tournament championship match and strengthen their résumé for a potential at-large bid to the national tournament. Winning the Region 14 title would guarantee Blinn an automatic berth.
"It's good to win in the postseason," Blinn head coach Gregg Whitis said. "We survived and advanced, and we're looking forward to playing tomorrow."
Blinn was led by freshman outside hitter Akira Smallwood, who finished with 15 kills and a team-high 20 digs. Sophomore hitter Aliyah Harris added a team-best 17 kills, while sophomore middle blocker Alana Asante contributed 11 kills behind an impressive .588 hitting percentage.
The Bucs also received 15 digs from freshman libero/defensive specialist Kaylen Ottmers, who made an impact in multiple areas of the game.
"Kaylen made a big difference for us," Whitis said. "She applied consistent pressure from the service line and helped us in serve receive and on defense. She gave us some extra swings, she kept us in system, and she and Akira played really good floor defense."
Blinn totaled 59 kills, 57 assists, 88 digs, and eight service aces. Freshman setter Skylar Herring recorded 28 assists and 12 digs, while freshman setter Valerie Yambao added 21 assists and 11 digs. Sophomore libero/DS Natalia Silva contributed 14 digs.
After three tightly contested sets, the fourth featured another dramatic finish.
Blinn held a 23-21 advantage before Lee rallied to tie the score. The Navigators then took a 24-23 lead, but Harris answered with a kill to even the set. Freshman middle blocker London King followed with a block to put Blinn at match point, and sophomore hitter Kassandra De La Garza sealed the victory with a service ace for the 26-24 win.
Whitis was particularly pleased with Smallwood's ability to overcome a difficult start and finish strong.
"Akira responded well after a tough start to the match. She hung in there and found ways to score for us," Whitis said. "In sets three and four, she was the best player on the court for six rotations. I'm really proud of the way she battled. She didn't have a great start, but boy, did she finish strong."
Asante also played an important role in Blinn's victory, finishing with 11 kills on 17 attempts with just one error.
"It's a road match, and we were playing a team in the postseason in their home gym," Whitis said. "We had some kids fighting through their first postseason experiences, too, and they fought hard, so I was proud of them."