Esports 2/27/2026 10:31:00 AM

Blinn Valorant rebounds in rounds two and three to win NJCAAe series over Grayson

The Buccaneers will face Conestoga in a NACE Valorant matchup March 4

Esports 2/27/2026 10:31:00 AM

Blinn Valorant rebounds in rounds two and three to win NJCAAe series over Grayson

The Buccaneers will face Conestoga in a NACE Valorant matchup March 4

The Blinn College esports Valorant team earned a 2-1 victory in a best-of-three NJCAA Esports (NJCAAe) Central Group 1 series against Grayson College on Thursday.

With the win, the Buccaneers moved to 1-1 in Central Group 1 play.

Competing for Blinn were Ilies Dolliazal, Milad Khorsandi, Tyler Hartman, Hayden Rubino, and Brian Yang.

Valorant is a tactical, team-based, first-person shooter set in a near-future world. Teams of five players choose unique agents with distinct abilities, combining shooting skills with strategic use of each agent's toolkit. Teams alternate between attacking and defending. Attackers aim to plant a spike at one of the designated sites, while defenders try to prevent this or defuse the spike if planted. The first team to win 13 rounds claims victory. If both teams reach a tie at 12-12, overtime is triggered, and the match continues until one team wins by two rounds, with teams alternating between attacking and defending in each overtime round.

Blinn assistant coach and Valorant coach Patrick Daley described the matchup as "one of the most satisfying bounce-back performances of the season."

After dropping the opening map, the Buccaneers regrouped and delivered two dominant performances to secure the series.

The match opened on Breeze, where the Bucs absorbed a 13-6 loss.

"We struggled early with map control and long sightline fights, which allowed Grayson to build economy and dictate the pace," Daley said. "Even when we found early picks, we were not consistently converting post-plant situations."

Despite flashes of strong individual play and improved communication, Blinn was often forced into reactive retakes and never fully stabilized momentum.

Round two (Pearl map) marked a turning point.

"From the first pistol round, our energy and coordination shifted," Daley said.

The Buccaneers controlled mid effectively and layered utility to isolate Grayson's duelists. Dolliazal and Rubino applied consistent opening pressure, while Yang locked down key angles to shut down site hits. Khorsandi's utility timing created cleaner entries, and Hartman anchored defensive rounds that prevented any comeback attempts in a commanding 13-2 victory.

Bind served as the statement map.

"We came in determined to close the series decisively, and that mindset showed immediately," Daley said.

Blinn won early rounds convincingly and never allowed the Vikings to settle into their setups. Hartman delivered one of his strongest performances of the season, confidently controlling both entry fights and anchor positions. The Buccaneers maintained pressure throughout a dominant 13-0 sweep to clinch the series win.

"After dropping Breeze, the responses on Pearl and Bind showed maturity and resilience," Daley added. "The ability to reset mentally and execute two clean maps in a row is a strong sign of growth as we move forward."

Blinn will look to build on the momentum when they take on Conestoga College in a National Association of College Esports Valorant tilt at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4.

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

Print Friendly Version