Esports 10/13/2026 11:11:00 PM

Blinn earns three victories across five matches

The Buccaneers picked up two Rocket League conference victories and swept St. Xavier University in Overwatch

Esports 10/13/2026 11:11:00 PM

Blinn earns three victories across five matches

The Buccaneers picked up two Rocket League conference victories and swept St. Xavier University in Overwatch

The Blinn College esports team competed in five matches across Rocket League, Overwatch, and Valorant on Tuesday, earning three victories in a busy day of collegiate competition.

The Buccaneers picked up two NJCAA Esports (NJCAAe) conference wins in Rocket League before dropping a National Association of College Esports (NACE) match to Baylor University; swept St. Xavier University in a NACE Overwatch tilt; and fell to Pratt Community College in NJCAAe Valorant action.

ROCKET LEAGUE
Blinn's Rocket League team opened Tuesday with a dominant 3-0 series victory over Dallas College Brookhaven before sweeping Dallas College Cedar Valley by the same score in its second NJCAAe conference matchup of the day. Both matches were played under a best-of-five format.

Rocket League combines elements of soccer with fast-paced car mechanics. Teams of three players use rocket-powered vehicles to hit a ball into the opponent's goal, with the team scoring the most goals during a five-minute match earning the victory.

The Bucs controlled the opening series against Brookhaven, winning the three games 6-2, 4-0, and 4-1. Blinn dictated possession, applied constant offensive pressure, and consistently capitalized on scoring opportunities.

Moises Arb started and played throughout the first two matches of the day, contributing valuable minutes as he continued to develop his role within the roster.

The second matchup against Cedar Valley presented a tougher challenge, but Blinn maintained its composure to secure another sweep. The Bucs won the opening two games 4-1 and 5-1 before edging Cedar Valley 2-1 in overtime to complete the series.

Blinn then faced Baylor University in its first National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) non-conference matchup of the season. Baylor took the series 3-0, winning the games 5-0, 4-2, and 2-0.

Despite the loss, Rocket League head coach and manager Kyle Murto viewed the day as an encouraging step forward for the program. Murto pointed to improvements in teamwork, rotations, communication, and confidence, along with the value of competing against a nationally prominent Baylor program.

Blinn improved to 4-1 in NJCAAe play and dropped to 0-1 in NACE competition.

The Rocket League roster features Arb, Cooper Bullinger, Andrew Corley, and Jared Kissee.

Blinn continues its Rocket League season with a pair of NJCAAe matches on Tuesday, Oct. 20. The Bucs battled Daytona State College at 6 p.m. and Hutchinson Community College at 7 p.m.

OVERWATCH
Blinn's Overwatch team, ranked No. 8 nationally by the Overwatch Collegiate Rankings Association (OWCRA), earned a 3-0 victory (best-of-five) over St. Xavier University in its first NACE non-conference match of the season.

The victory continued the Bucs' momentum following a third-place finish at the Queen City Clash in Cincinnati over the weekend.

Overwatch is a team-based, first-person shooter in which players select heroes with unique abilities and work together to complete objectives across multiple map modes. Teams can strategically choose maps based on their strengths and their opponents' weaknesses.

Tuesday's series featured three modes: Control, Escort, and Hybrid. In Control, teams fight to capture and hold a single point, with the first team to reach 100% control winning the round.

In Escort, attackers move a payload toward its destination while defenders attempt to stop them before time expires. Hybrid combines both objectives, requiring attackers to capture a point before escorting a payload.

Blinn opened on Ilios in Control, earning a 2-1 victory. The Bucs experimented with new team compositions and strategies throughout the map while maintaining control of the match.

The team continued its strong play on Watchpoint: Grímsvötn in Escort, winning 3-1. Blinn then closed the series on Paraíso in Hybrid, earning another 3-1 victory to complete the sweep.

Blinn esports head coach and Overwatch manager Kyle Murto said the match provided an opportunity to evaluate new compositions and strategies while continuing to compete at a high level. Despite dropping a few rounds while adjusting to unfamiliar approaches, the team adapted quickly and maintained strong overall play.

The performance was particularly encouraging following a demanding weekend of travel and competition. The team returned from Cincinnati around 3 a.m. Monday night into
Tuesday morning and still delivered a convincing victory.

Blinn improved to 1-0 in NACE play.

The Overwatch roster includes Donnivan Straight, Jose Soliz, Antony Luna, Dylan Wiley, Salvador Castaneda, Charles Tomlinson, and Carter Lenahan.

The Bucs get back to work in NJCAAe Overwatch play with a bout against Grayson College at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

VALORANT
Blinn's Valorant team dropped a 2-0 decision to Pratt Community College in NJCAAe regular-season action, falling to 1-1 in league play.

Valorant is a tactical, team-based first-person shooter in which teams of five players select agents with unique abilities. Teams alternate between attacking and defending, with attackers attempting to plant a spike at a designated site and defenders trying to prevent the plant or defuse the spike. The first team to win 13 rounds claims the map, with overtime required if the score reaches 12-12.

The series opened on Corrode, where Blinn fell 13-9. The Bucs created opportunities through strong individual gunfights and favorable positions but struggled to close out rounds, particularly in clutch situations. Several lost advantages ultimately proved costly.

The second map, Summit, followed a similar pattern. Blinn found openings through coordinated pressure and individual plays, but Pratt came out ahead in several critical engagements to secure another 13-9 victory and complete the sweep.

Samuel Long and Tyler Hartman created opportunities for the Bucs to take space, while Brian Yang, Ahnaf Khan, and Braeden Greiffenstein supported those efforts throughout the series.

Blinn assistant coach and Valorant manager Patrick Daley said the team showed the individual talent and game understanding necessary to compete but needs to improve its execution in decisive moments. The focus moving forward will be on trading teammates, decision-making with a player advantage, and confidence in late-round engagements.

The matchup also provided an opportunity to evaluate the team against a familiar opponent following roster changes on both sides and the introduction of a new competitive map pool. Although the result was disappointing, the Bucs will have another opportunity to compete when they return to NACE play.

The Valorant roster includes Greiffenstein, Khan, Hartman, Long, and Yang.

Blinn Valorant will meet Pratt in an immediate rematch Wednesday when the two teams battle in NACE play at 7:30 p.m.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 53 national championships since 1987.

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Players Mentioned

Charles Tomlinson: Sophomore; Overwatch

Dylan Wiley: Freshman; Overwatch

Donnivan Straight: Sophomore; Overwatch

Jose Soliz: Freshman; Overwatch

Carter Lenahan: Freshman; Overwatch

Salvador Castaneda: Freshman; Overwatch

Antony Luna: Freshman; Overwatch

Cooper Bullinger: Freshman; Rocket League

Jared Kissee: Freshman; Rocket League

Moises Arb: Freshman; Rocket League

Players Mentioned

Charles Tomlinson
: Sophomore; Overwatch

Dylan Wiley
: Freshman; Overwatch

Donnivan Straight
: Sophomore; Overwatch

Jose Soliz
: Freshman; Overwatch

Carter Lenahan
: Freshman; Overwatch

Salvador Castaneda
: Freshman; Overwatch

Antony Luna
: Freshman; Overwatch

Cooper Bullinger
: Freshman; Rocket League

Jared Kissee
: Freshman; Rocket League

Moises Arb
: Freshman; Rocket League