BAYTOWN, Texas — No. 17 Blinn College volleyball (29-9) bounced back to sweep Lee College 3-0 to advance in the Region XIV tournament hosted by Lee on Friday.
The Buccaneers beat Lee by the score 25-21, 25-10 and 25-16 to move ahead in the consolation bracket. Blinn was sent to the consolation bracket after suffering a 3-1 loss to No. 13 Panola College by the score 22-25, 25-23, 24-26 and 21-25. With the split, Blinn moves to a 29-9 overall record.
"I am happy with how we played and am proud of my players," said Terry Gamble, Blinn head coach. "Win or lose tomorrow, I love this team."
Panola 3 – Blinn 1
Blinn opened the tournament by taking one set from Panola and playing a close match, but didn't pull off the upset as the Buccaneers fell 3-1.
Shelby Sheets led the Buccaneers with 22 kills, while Roxanne Morris led Blinn with 24 assists and Samantha Boatman followed with 17 assists. Cheyenne Te'o led Blinn with 22 digs and Julia Fritz followed with 20 digs.
In the opening set, the Buccaneers held a 19-17 lead until Panola went on a late run to take a 25-22 victory. Blinn and Panola continued to trade points in the second set. With the set tied 17-17, the Buccaneers edged Panola out down the stretch 25-23 to even the match.
Blinn and Panola swapped points in the third set until the score was tied 24-24. The Fillies landed the next two points in order to win 26-24 and pull back ahead in the match. Panola finalized the 3-1 victory by defeating Blinn 25-21 in the fourth set.
Blinn 3 – Lee 0
Blinn was able to bounce back in the last match of the day by sweeping Lee 3-0 to eliminate the Rebels.
Sheets led Blinn's offense with 24 kills, while Taylor Henderson recorded seven kills and five blocks. Morris led the Buccaneers with 17 assists and Boatman recorded 15 assists. Te'o led Blinn's defense with 13 digs.
The Buccaneers and Rebels played a close first set, but Blinn was able to come out on top 25-21. Blinn defeated Lee by 15 points in the second set and finished the Rebels in the third set 25-16.
Next, Blinn will play on Saturday, Nov. 3, at 1 p.m. and will face the loser of No. 11 Trinity Valley Community College and No. 3 Navarro College.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 38 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
