TYLER, Texas – Blinn College volleyball could have easily been happy with leaving the Tyler Junior College Invite with a 2-2 record with a loss to Missouri State University-West Plains but the Buccaneers fought back from being down two sets to win the final three to come back for a 3-2 victory Saturday afternoon in Tyler.
The comeback victory over West Plains and a 3-0 sweep of Western Texas College on the day gave Blinn a 2-0 record on the day as the Buccaneers finished with a 3-1 tournament record. Overall, Blinn improved its record to 18-8 with a conference record staying at 4-1.
Blinn swept Western Texas by the score 25-20, 25-20 and 25-15 and then pulled the come from behind 3-2 victory over West Plains by the score 24-26, 15-25, 25-22, 27-25 and 15-12. This was the second meeting on the season for both teams playing Blinn and the Buccaneers got a chance to see the progression that has been made over the course of the season.
The Buccaneers didn't let up in the opening match against Western Texas as they won the first two sets by five points and then closed out the third set. Abolanle Onipede led Blinn with 11 kills and a .688 hitting percentage.
Eboni Mitchell finished with nine kills and a .364 hitting percentage. Jordyn Keamo earned 33 assists while Danusia Borgeaud and Dana Teets each had 11 digs in the victory.
Blinn trailed West Plains in the second match of the day 2-0 but showed the resolve to come back and claim the next three sets to beat West Plains, a team that had beaten the Buccaneers in the first match of the season.
"We were just better at being able to string points together after the second set against West Plains," said Blinn head coach Kalie Mader. "It was just a great team effort to come back from being down 0-2 and it says a lot for our mental toughness."
Keamo had an impressive match at the setter position with 47 assists to go along with seven kills on eight attempts and a pair of aces. Onipede led with 15 kills and Mitchell was right behind with 12. Borgeaud and Barbara Krug each had 15 digs to help out on the defensive side while Teets added 11 digs.
Blinn will get back into conference play with a trip to play Wharton County Junior College Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. Both Wharton and Blinn hold a 4-1 record in conference.
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 19,422 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.
