BRENHAM, Texas – Playing very crisp volleyball in the first two sets, Blinn College was able to cruise past Navarro College 3-0 to send off the six sophomores in style Monday night inside the PE Building in Brenham.
The Buccaneers swept by the score 25-17, 25-18 and 25-22 to improve to 24-9 overall and remain at 8-2 in conference. The six sophomores that played their last match inside the PE Building are Jordyn Keamo, Abolanle Onipede, Haley Howard, Darby Mussulman, Justus Tuiolosega and Gabby Hernandez.
"I like that we were able to finish off the match in three despite not playing very clean in the third set," said Blinn head coach Kalie Mader.
Blinn came out very strong in the opening set by jumping out to a 15-7 lead after five straight points aided by a handful of Navarro errors. Navarro regrouped slightly but Blinn was too much down the stretch as Mussulman closed out the first set with a block for a 25-17 victory.
The second set was more of the same for the Buccaneers as they jumped out to a 14-7 lead after three straight points that was sparked by a kill from Onipede. Blinn built the lead as high as 19-9 after an ace from Keamo and Eboni Mitchell closed out the second set with a kill for the 25-18 victory and a 2-0 advantage in sets.
After starting out fast in the third set and taking a 6-2 lead, Blinn let Navarro creep back into the set and take an 11-9 lead. The Buccaneers battled back to take a 16-13 lead after an ace from Keamo. Onipede helped Blinn maintain a three-point lead at 21-18 with a block and Mitchell was able to deliver the match-clinching kill for a 25-22 victory and the 3-0 sweep.
"I feel like the team is doing better than what I expected and we are clicking as a team," Onipede said. "We are starting to play like Blinn volleyball and becoming the team that everybody is talking about."
Blinn will close out the regular season with a trip to face Trinity Valley Community College on Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 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
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. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu.
