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Blinn College

Scoreboard

MaKenna Loo 2024
1
Trinity Valley Community College TRINITY
3
Winner Blinn College BLINN CO
Trinity Valley Community College TRINITY
1
Final
3
Blinn College BLINN CO
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Trinity Valley Community College TRINITY 25 23 20 23 (1)
Blinn College BLINN CO 21 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

No. 8 Blinn works through slow start, outlasts No. 14 Trinity Valley in Region XIV thriller

The Buccaneers pushed their winning streak to 28 games, improved to 35-2 overall, and remained unbeaten in region play

In the opening set of its Region XIV showdown against No. 14 Trinity Valley Community College, the eighth-ranked Blinn College volleyball team barely resembled the squad that had won 27 consecutive matches and the Region XIV championship.

In sets two, three, and four, the Cardinals were reminded exactly who the Buccaneers are.

Blinn overcame some early-match sluggishness and a first-set loss to fight past Trinity Valley 21-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-23 at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.

The Bucs pushed their winning streak to 28 matches while improving to 35-2 overall and 13-0 in region play.

"I noticed some of what we saw tonight in practice this week, and I stayed on the girls warning them about having a potential letdown against a good team like Trinity Valley," Blinn head coach Terry Gamble said. "We still have a lot to play for and the girls didn't come out ready to play from the get-go. I take the blame for some of it and we're going to get back to work and fix it."

The Bucs failed to gain traction against the Cardinals in the opening set, losing an early 2-1 lead on a Trinity Valley kill before the visitors took the lead for good on an errant Blinn spike that went out of bounds. The Bucs stayed within four points or less of the Cardinals until match point but couldn't get over the hump.

Kellen Dorotik 2024
(Pictured: Blinn sophomore hitter Kellen Dorotik spikes the ball during a match against Trinity Valley on Oct. 29, 2024)

"We came out with very little energy in that first set and even when we were trying to pick it up it wasn't working for us," Blinn sophomore right-side hitter Kellen Dorotik said. "Something finally clicked for us halfway through the second set, and then before the third set I gathered the girls up on the court and told them, 'Let's use this momentum we have and carry it forward.' I think from there we calmed down and played the way we know we can."

The second game of the match still favored Trinity Valley as it raced out to a 4-1 advantage. The Bucs rallied and took their first lead of the match since the opening points of the first set when freshman outside hitter Greta Rakow spiked the ball off the fingertips of two Trinity Valley blockers.

From there, the set was a neck-and-neck tussle. 

The Cardinals jumped 23-22 on a Blinn hitting error, but the Bucs recovered quickly. Rakow tipped a ball into Trinity Valley's double block that dropped to the floor for a kill, and she followed that play with a service ace to put Blinn on the brink. On the final volley of the set, Bucs freshman outside hitter MaKenna Loo tipped the ball over the net before the Cardinals mishandled it to give Blinn the victory.

"There were points throughout the match where we would make mistakes and you would see our heads drop, but we took it upon ourselves to encourage each other with kind words and bring the energy back up," Loo explained. "Once we got out of our own heads and began rallying around each other, I think that's when you saw things turn around on the scoreboard."

The two teams again went toe-to-toe in the third set and were deadlocked at 13-all before the Bucs found some breathing room behind a 7-2 run. Even then, the Cardinals climbed to within 21-19 before Blinn tallied three consecutive points. Dorotik ended the set with a perfect tip over two Trinity Valley blockers and into the open floor.

MaKenna Loo 2024
(Pictured: Blinn freshman hitter MaKenna Loo tips the ball over the net during a match against Trinity Valley on Oct. 29, 2024)

The match came to a thrilling conclusion with another back-and-forth affair in set four. Neither the Bucs nor the Cardinals built a lead greater than four points, and in the later moments of the set the teams were knotted 20-20. 

Trinity Valley took its final lead of the set on a kill to move ahead 21-20, but sent their next spike attempt out of bounds to reinstate a tie. Loo then earned a kill off the block to push the Bucs ahead and the Cardinals were flagged for four hits during the next rally to make it 23-21. Loo later drilled another kill to make it 24-22, and after Trinity Valley scored its final point of the match, Blinn avoided extra points on a center-court spike by Loo.

It was a welcomed conclusion on a night the Bucs celebrated their three sophomores — Dorotik and liberos Kirby Kliafas and Cierra Pesak — as part of sophomore night.

"I think it's amazing what we've been able to do so far this season with such a young team, and our three sophomores are a big part of that," Gamble added. "The effort is there – there's no question about that – we just have to continue to play smart volleyball and start putting our best foot forward right from the jump."

Loo and Dorotik led the Blinn offense with 23 and 22 kills, respectively. At 590 kills for the season, Dorotik continues to lead all NJCAA Division I hitters.

Rakow added eight kills.

Distributing the ball for the Bucs were freshmen setters Leah Hoss and Bromli Watson, who handed out 30 and 22 assists. At the line, Pesak had a team-best four aces.

Pesak was also impressive on defense as she paced her team with 21 digs. Loo tacked on 15 and freshman libero Sophie Ilagan added 11. At the net, freshman middle blocker Karolina Karabasz had three solo blocks, Dorotik had a pair, and Loo tallied one. Freshman middle blocker Jana Cetkovic had two block assists.

The Bucs finish the regular season with a Region XIV road tilt at Tyler Junior College at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31, in Tyler, Texas.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 49 national championships since 1987.
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