IRVING, Texas — No. 17 Blinn College volleyball (12-1) used a strong defense to open the DAC Fall Classic with sweeps over Pratt Community College and Allen County Community College on Friday afternoon.

First, the Buccaneers swept Pratt, 3-0 (25-13, 25-15, and 25-13), and then took down Allen County (25-13, 25-10, and 25-17).

"I'm happy with the way the team played today," said Terry Gamble, Blinn head coach. "We blocked and controlled the ball really well."

Blinn 3 – Pratt 0

The Buccaneers opened the tournament with a sweep over Pratt, 3-0.

Essence Clerkley led Blinn with 11 kills, while Jenni Liu recorded 36 assists.

On defense, Giulia Hortelan and Kya Yanez combined for 17 digs, while Clerkley and Liu each chipped in six block assists.

Blinn opened the match strong, taking down Pratt 25-13 in the first set. Yanez and Hortelan combined for seven digs in the second set to lift Blinn to a 10-point win (25-15). The Buccaneers earned the sweep by defeating Pratt 25-13 in the third set.

Blinn 3 – Allen County 0

Hortelan recorded 10 digs and eight kills to help lead the Buccaneers to a 3-0 win over Allen County to close out the day.

Clerkley led Blinn's offense with nine kills, while Paige Hortelan recorded eight kills and Liu tallied 28 assists.

Liu came up with six digs in the first set to lead Blinn to a 25-13 win. In the second set, the Buccaneers defeated Allen County by 15 points (25-10). Blinn walked away with the sweep by taking down Allen County 25-17 in the third set.

Next, Blinn will finish the DAC Fall Classic on Saturday, September 7, against North Lake College at 8:30 a.m. and Victoria College at 1:30 p.m.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 41 NJCAA national championships since 1987.