BAYTOWN, Texas – Blinn College volleyball split the first two sets with Lee College to open the match but really cleaned things up in the third set and that momentum carried the Buccaneers to a 3-1 victory Friday night in Baytown.
Blinn improved its record to 15-7 overall and 4-1 in conference after beating Lee by the score 25-21, 24-26, 25-17 and 25-22.
Blinn had a balanced night offensively as Abolanle Onipede led with 10 kills, five digs and a .316 hitting percentage. Alexis Kingston and Eboni Mitchell each had nine kills. The Buccaneers had four players with double-digit digs, led by Danusia Borgeaud with 16 while Gaia Gbola had 13 digs and Dana Teets had 12.
Jordyn Keamo had an all-around match with 36 assists, 15 digs and six service aces to led her team to victory as the setter.
The Buccaneers were able to overcome a mildly sluggish beginning to the match in the first set and come away with a 25-21 victory but then Lee took advantage in the second set and eked out a 26-24 victory to knot up the sets 1-1.
Instead of getting discouraged after dropping a set, Blinn came right back in the third and put together easily its best set of the match. Cutting down on errors and using a potent service game, Blinn was able to beat Lee 25-17.
"We were just all-around better in set three," said Blinn head coach Kalie Mader. "Our serving really made up for our offensive struggles tonight."
That momentum carried over to the fourth set for the Buccaneers as they jumped out to a nine point lead. Blinn got to 24 points quickly but it took six set points to finally put away the match at 25-22 and Lee made it appear a bit closer in the fourth than it actually was.
Blinn will next play in the Tyler Junior College Invitational on Friday, Oct. 3. The first match for the Buccaneers will be at 12 p.m. against Indian Hills Community College and then will play another at 4 p.m. against Odessa College.
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.
