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Blinn College

Scoreboard

Kassandra De La Garza 2026
3
Winner Blinn College BLINN CO
1
Navarro College NAVARRO
Winner
Blinn College BLINN CO
3
Final
1
Navarro College NAVARRO
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Blinn College BLINN CO 25 25 23 25 (3)
Navarro College NAVARRO 19 22 25 16 (1)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

No. 12 Blinn battles past Navarro in four sets

Buccaneers win fourth consecutive Region 14 match and fifth in a row overall

The No. 12 Blinn College volleyball team earned an impressive four-set victory over Navarro College on Tuesday in Corsicana, Texas.

The Buccaneers won 25-19, 25-22, 23-25, 25-16 to earn their fourth consecutive Region 14 victory and fifth in a row overall. The win also avenged a five-set home loss to the Bulldogs on Sept. 17.

The Bucs improved to 22-4 overall and 4-3 in region play.

Blinn controlled the first two sets before Navarro rallied late in the third. Blinn responded by taking control again in the fourth set to close out the road victory.

"We controlled every set from the beginning," Blinn head coach Gregg Whitis said. "We just had a bad stretch where we got caught in a rotation at the end of the second set that gave Navarro some momentum, and we wilted a bit in the third."

Blinn led 8-1 early in the third set before Navarro gradually chipped away at the deficit. The Bucs led 19-17 late in the set before Navarro closed on a 6-1 run to take a 23-20 lead. Blinn was within 24-23 before the hosts clinched the set.

The Bucs regrouped in the fourth set, applying pressure from the outset and making the plays necessary to put Navarro away.

"We gave Navarro the third set but came right back out in the fourth and applied pressure and made some plays," Whitis said. "We were able to keep the pressure on them."

Sophomore hitter Aliyah Harris led Blinn with 17 kills and added five digs and a block assist. Sophomore hitter Kassandra De La Garza recorded nine kills, three aces, five digs and five block assists, while sophomore middle blocker Alana Asante contributed seven kills, two solo blocks, and seven block assists.

Freshman hitter Akira Smallwood added seven kills and 12 digs, and freshman setter Skylar Herring finished with 33 assists and 11 digs. Sophomore libero/defensive specialist Natalia Silva contributed 22 digs, while freshman libero/DS Karolynn Youngblood recorded four digs and an ace.

Whitis praised the play of his sophomores, particularly Asante, De La Garza and Harris.

"I was proud of the way Alana Asante played," Whitis said. "I was proud of Kassandra De La Garza. She didn't have a ton of good opportunities to score, but she battled and served it tough and received it well and played some good floor defense for us. She was then able to score some for us in the fourth: a couple of kills, an ace, a stuff block. I'm proud of how gritty Kassandra is."

Harris also faced a difficult assignment against Navarro sophomore opposite hitter Tainara Bacellar Dutra.

"Aliyah did a really good job against their good opposite hitter," Whitis said. "She faced a challenge hitting against that kid and having to slow her down, and she just did a good job tonight."

Blinn has had to navigate injuries this season, including the loss of standout sophomore hitter McKynzee Beddes, while also incorporating several freshmen into an entirely new system. Despite the adversity, the Bucs continue to find ways to get the job done.

"We're not letting go of the rope," Whitis said.

The Bucs return home Thursday for another region matchup, hosting No. 15 Trinity Valley Community College at 6 p.m. at the Kruse Center in Brenham.

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