Women's Volleyball 8/23/2026 10:05:00 AM

No. 12 Blinn sweeps through Western Texas Classic

The Buccaneers won all four of their matches at the Classic without dropping a set

Women's Volleyball 8/23/2026 10:05:00 AM

No. 12 Blinn sweeps through Western Texas Classic

The Buccaneers won all four of their matches at the Classic without dropping a set

No. 12 Blinn College volleyball cruised at the Western Texas College Classic, sweeping all four of its matches over two days after defeating Otero College and Dallas College Cedar Valley on Saturday.

The Buccaneers closed the Classic with a pair of 3-0 victories, defeating Otero 25-9, 25-22, 25-11 before sweeping Cedar Valley 25-9, 25-15, 25-15.

Blinn improved to 4-0 on the season.

"We took care of business," Blinn head coach Gregg Whitis said. "We had some errors, and we played some different lineups, but we got the job done. We still need to improve, and we'll know where we stand after next week."

Against Otero, sophomore hitter Mckynzee Beddes led Blinn with 11 kills. Freshman setters Valerie Yambao and Skylar Herring recorded 14 and 11 assists, respectively.

Freshman libero/defensive specialist Karolynn Youngblood served up five aces.

Defensively, sophomore libero/defensive specialist Natalia Silva led the Bucs' floor defense with 10 digs, and sophomore middle blocker Alana Asante contributed four block assists at the net.

Beddes continued to provide a constant presence for Blinn throughout the weekend.

"McKynzee was consistent for us, especially today," Whitis said. "She's not the one who everybody pays attention to offensively, but it has become pretty obvious that we have to have her on the court."

The Bucs carried their momentum into the final match against Cedar Valley, with freshman hitter Akira Smallwood leading the way with eight kills. Yambao finished with 16 assists and Herring added 11, while freshman libero/defensive specialist Caylie Neisner led the team with five digs.

Herring also recorded three aces, and freshman middle blocker Kansas Lamar finished with two block assists.

Blinn's setters and middle blockers were among the bright spots throughout the Classic, according to Whitis.

"I'm pleased with our setters," Whitis said. "We have three freshmen who are trying to consume new information on how to set, but also tactically who to set and where to set it."

Whitis said he was pleased with the contributions from Asante, Lamar and freshman London King, who have shared the team's two middle blocker positions.

"I'm extremely happy with our middles," Whitis said. "The three kids sharing those two positions have done a tremendous job so far."

Blinn also received strong contributions defensively and from the service line throughout the weekend. He made special note of Silva's growth since her freshman season.

"The jump Natalia Silva has made is impressive," Whitis said. "She has really taken a major step forward for us."

The Bucs' ability to win despite some miscues was another positive from the weekend, especially considering Blinn did not drop a set in any of its four matches.

"It's a positive when you don't drop a set over a weekend while playing four matches," Whitis said. "It's not as much a game of execution as it is a game of error prevention. We have to reduce our errors, especially against the quality of competition we're about to start facing, but I was happy with how we kept finding a way to get the job done."

Blinn returns home Tuesday for its home opener against Hill College at 6 p.m. at the Kruse Center in Brenham. The Bucs will then welcome an array of talented teams to town for the Kruse Kickoff Classic beginning Thursday, Aug. 27. Blinn will battle No. 15 Indian Hills Community College and No. 2 and 2025 national runner-up Florida SouthWestern State College, among others, during the three days of competition.

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

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