Esports 11/10/2026 9:42:00 AM

Blinn splits matches against Kennesaw State, Dallas College Richland

The Buccaneers Overwatch team earns a sweep while League of Legends drops NJCAAe tilt

Esports 11/10/2026 9:42:00 AM

Blinn splits matches against Kennesaw State, Dallas College Richland

The Buccaneers Overwatch team earns a sweep while League of Legends drops NJCAAe tilt

The Blinn College esports program split its matches Monday, with the Overwatch team sweeping Kennesaw State University 3-0 and the League of Legends team falling 2-0 to Dallas College Richland.

OVERWATCH
The No. 11 Blinn Overwatch team, ranked nationally by the Overwatch Collegiate Rankings Association (OWCRA), earned a 3-0 victory over Kennesaw State University in NACE Super Conference non-conference competition.

The Buccaneers improved to 3-2 in NACE Super Conference competition.

Blinn's lineup included Donnivan Straight, Jose Soliz, Antony Luna, Dylan Wiley, Salvador Castaneda, and Carter Lenahan.

Overwatch is a team-based first-person shooter in which teams of heroes with different abilities compete to complete objectives. Matches feature several game modes, including Control, Hybrid, and Flashpoint.

Blinn opened on Busan, a Control map in which teams compete to capture and maintain control of an objective. The Bucs won both rounds to take an early advantage.

The teams moved to Paraíso for the second map, a Hybrid game mode that requires teams to capture an objective before escorting a payload through a series of checkpoints. Blinn earned a 1-0 victory to take a commanding 2-0 lead.

The Bucs completed the sweep on Suravasa, a Flashpoint map featuring rotating objectives that teams must capture and control. Blinn dominated the final map 3-0.

"This was exactly the type of performance we needed," head coach and Overwatch manager Kyle Murto said. "After some inconsistency over the last few weeks, it was important to come out focused and avoid playing down to our competition. We took care of business quickly and efficiently, getting in and getting out with little drama."

Blinn also worked Carter Lenahan into the lineup for the final map. Lenahan made the most of his opportunity, gaining valuable experience in a varsity match environment.

"From start to finish, we controlled the pace of the match, communicated well, and handled our business the way we know we're capable of," Murto said.

The Bucs will return to competition at 6 p.m. Wednesday against Collin College in NJCAA Esports competition.

LEAGUE OF LEGENDS
Blinn's League of Legends team suffered a 2-0 loss to Richland in NJCAA Esports competition.

The Buccaneers fell to 2-5 in NJCAA Esports competition.

Blinn's lineup included Long Nguyen, Andrew Vo, Johnson Le, Carlos Dickens, and Jose Rios.

League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game in which two teams of five players compete to destroy the opposing team's Nexus, a structure located inside its base. Players control individual champions with unique abilities, working together to defeat opponents, earn resources, secure objectives, and gain advantages across the map.

Blinn entered its seventh match of the season feeling confident after sitting near Richland in the standings. However, the opponent established control early in both games.

Blinn opened with a teamfighting-oriented composition but fell behind early. Vo made several notable plays on Orianna, a champion capable of controlling opponents and setting up attacks for teammates. However, the Bucs struggled to overcome their deficit and were unable to turn their teamfighting opportunities into a comeback.

Richland maintained its advantage to take the opening game.

Blinn made adjustments in the second game, looking to play more aggressively. However, Dallas College Richland found success on the top side of the map, using those advantages to secure dragons and win teamfights in the middle lane.

The Bucs nearly found an opportunity to swing the momentum with a big teamfight victory but overstayed while attempting to secure an additional objective. Richland capitalized, eliminated the remaining Blinn players, and closed out the game to complete the sweep.

"We felt good going in with us being right next to them in the standings, however, the games did not pan out the way we hoped," assistant coach and League of Legends manager Ryan Lucich said. "It was a disappointing performance from us today and we definitely did not play up to our potential."

The Bucs will wrap up their NJCAA Esports schedule at 6 p.m. Wednesday against Pratt Community College.

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

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Players Mentioned

Jose Rios: Sophomore; Overwatch

Carlos Dickens: Sophomore; League of Legends

Long Nguyen: Freshman; League of Legends

Johnson Le: Freshman; League of Legends

Andrew Vo: Sophomore; League of Legends

Dylan Wiley: Freshman; Overwatch

Donnivan Straight: Sophomore; Overwatch

Jose Soliz: Freshman; Overwatch

Carter Lenahan: Freshman; Overwatch

Salvador Castaneda: Freshman; Overwatch

Players Mentioned

Jose Rios
: Sophomore; Overwatch

Carlos Dickens
: Sophomore; League of Legends

Long Nguyen
: Freshman; League of Legends

Johnson Le
: Freshman; League of Legends

Andrew Vo
: Sophomore; League of Legends

Dylan Wiley
: Freshman; Overwatch

Donnivan Straight
: Sophomore; Overwatch

Jose Soliz
: Freshman; Overwatch

Carter Lenahan
: Freshman; Overwatch

Salvador Castaneda
: Freshman; Overwatch