The seventh-ranked Blinn College volleyball team enters the NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championship as the No. 8 seed April 15-17 in the West Plains Civic Center in West Plains, Mo.
After placing second at the Region XIV Tournament, Blinn advances to the national tournament for the first time since 2015. The Buccaneers will face No. 11 Western Nebraska Community College on Thursday, April 15, at 1:30 p.m.
"I am really excited for the team and for Blinn College because it has been a long time since the Buccaneers have been there," head coach Terry Gamble said. "This program has been so successful, so it is exciting to be back. These players believe in each other, and when you do that special things can happen, so it is going to be fun to watch them at nationals."
The tournament will consist of 16 teams. Five join Blinn with top-10 national rankings in No. 1 Miami Dade College, No. 4 Utah State University Eastern, No. 5 Iowa Western Community College, No. 6 Florida SouthWestern State College, and No. 9 Navarro College. Navarro and Tyler Junior College join the Buccaneers in the tournament from Region XIV.
The Buccaneers enter the tournament with a 24-2 record and a conference championship under their belt.
"This team has so much talent, and our skillset and mindset have been one, which helps us when we play," Essence Clerkley said. "Fans can expect to see our fight in this tournament because we have been fighting all season and we want this. We have been able to be so successful because it is in our heart and we all really love this game."
Blinn enters the tournament ranked second in the nation in hitting percentage (.303); sixth in the nation in kills per set (13.20), assists per set (12.54) and block assists (350); and ninth in the nation in blocks per set (2.51).
"I am looking forward to continuing our season and getting to play with our team and play for Blinn," Loren Scott said. "Everyone has bought into Blinn volleyball and this is the program that everyone wanted to be a part of and we wanted to work for. This is one of the most talented teams that I have ever been on and we work really hard."
Jayde Shelton ranks fifth in the nation with 4.39 kills per set and eight in the nation with a .378 hitting percentage. Ashley Taylor ranks second in the nation with 101 block assists, while Scott ranks seventh in the nation with 10.36 kills per set.
"The biggest thing I look forward to is being in this tournament with the girls we have on this team because this was our goal from the first day of the season," Taylor said. "We made it a reality and it is an accomplishment, so we are excited. The talent level on this team is impeccable."
Admission is $10 per session. Children ages 2 and under get in free of charge. T-shirts are available at teamip.com/njcaa.
Fans can watch a live stream of the tournament on the NJCAA Network at www.njcaa.org/network. Tournament updates will be posted at www.njcaa.org/championships and on Twitter at @NJCAAVolleyball.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
