BRENHAM, Texas – Being aggressive on offense and going after its points helped Blinn College volleyball sweep Laredo Community College 3-0 to improve its overall record to 12-7 and improve to 1-1 in Region XIV play Friday night at the PE Building in Brenham.
All three sets started out close enough but the Buccaneers switched to another gear when there was light at the end of the tunnel and closed out all three sets. Blinn won by the score of 25-16, 25-16 and 25-22.
"I was proud of my players for the amount of points we were earning," said Blinn head coach Kalie Mader. "We earned at least 17 points per set and that is good for us because that means we are not relying on other team's mistakes to score points."
Abolanle Onipede led the way for Blinn with 11 kills and a .563 hitting percentage.
"It felt good to be out there as a team and getting the kills that we were supposed to," Onipede said. "After seeing that we were not in the polls we just decided that this is the last time losing."
Alexis Kingston added eight kills with a .238 hitting percentage while the team hit .294. Jordyn Keamo had a complete match with 38 assists and six kills.
In the opening set Blinn came out strong by grabbing an early 8-4 lead after an ace from Kingston. That lead disappeared later in the set as Laredo came back to tie the set at 13-13. The Buccaneers controlled the set from there however, scoring 12 of the next 15 points as Onipede sealed the 25-16 first set with a kill.
The second set look eerily similar to the first as Blinn was clinging to a slim 17-14 lead. That is when the Buccaneers went on an 8-2 run, including scoring the last seven points on Keamo's serve as Kingston sealed the second set with a kill for the 25-16 victory.
The third set was a little closer as Laredo cut down on its mistakes and were able to tie Blinn at 20-20. The Buccaneers were able to score three points in a row with kills from Haley Howard and Danusia Borgeaud to take a 23-20 lead. From there, Blinn was able to seal the sweep with a kill from Onipede for a 25-22 victory in the third.
Blinn will continue conference play tomorrow when it hosts Coastal Bend College Sept. 19 at 1 p.m.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 32 NJCAA national championships since 1987. For more information, visit: www.buccaneersports.com.
About Blinn College
A comprehensive community college committed to educational excellence and to individual and community enhancement, Blinn College has served its 13-county Central Texas region since 1883. With an enrollment of 19,317 students, Blinn ranks among the nation's leaders in transferring students to leading four-year universities and has received national recognition for affordable educational excellence.
Blinn offers job seekers the skills and credentials they need to succeed in the region's fast-growing industries, and partners with local businesses to provide skills development training for incumbent employees. Each year, Blinn programs and students make a $345.3 million impact on the local economy.
For more information about Blinn College and exciting student success initiatives such as Destination Success: First-Year Focus and the Blinn TEAM Program, visit: www.blinn.edu or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
