Women's Volleyball 8/30/2026 12:52:00 AM

No. 12 Blinn rebounds to close Kruse Kickoff Classic with victory

The Buccaneers finished 4-1 in challenging home tournament

Women's Volleyball 8/30/2026 12:52:00 AM

No. 12 Blinn rebounds to close Kruse Kickoff Classic with victory

The Buccaneers finished 4-1 in challenging home tournament

The No. 12-ranked Blinn College volleyball team showed its resilience Saturday, bouncing back from a loss to one of the nation's hottest junior college programs to defeat McLennan Community College in four sets and close the Kruse Kickoff Classic at the Kruse Center.

The Buccaneers rallied for a 24-26, 25-7, 25-21, 25-12 victory over the Highlassies after falling to Daytona State College 25-7, 20-25, 18-25, 23-25 earlier in the day.

Blinn finished 4-1 in the three-day tournament it hosted and improved to 9-1 overall.

"It was a big step up in competition for us from week one to this week," Blinn head coach Gregg Whitis said. "I was really happy with the way we played over the course of five matches. If you had told me through 10 games we'd be 9-1, I'd have taken it all day, every day."

The Bucs nearly completed a remarkable comeback in the opening set against McLennan, erasing an eight-point deficit late to take a 24-23 lead after trailing 21-13. The Highlassies ultimately held off Blinn, however, scoring the final three points to take a one-set lead.

McLennan opened the second set with a 3-1 advantage, but the Bucs responded emphatically. Blinn outscored the Highlassies 24-4 the rest of the way.

With the set tied 4-4, a McLennan service error gave the Bucs a lead they would not relinquish. Freshman libero/defensive specialist Caylie Neisner capped the dominant set with a service ace for match point.

"Our kids were disappointed (after the loss to Daytona State), but the challenge for us was to come off of that and respond, and we didn't do that right away against McLennan," Whitis said of the team's loss to Daytona State earlier Saturday. "We responded appropriately after the first set against McLennan and took care of business."

Blinn jumped ahead 2-0 in the third set on a service ace from freshman setter Skylar Herring and a McLennan error, but the Highlassies stayed within striking distance throughout.

A kill from freshman middle blocker London King and a McLennan hitting error gave the Bucs a 21-16 cushion, but a 4-2 Highlassies run cut Blinn's lead to 23-20. Sophomore hitter McKynzee Beddes and sophomore middle blocker Alana Asante answered with kills around a McLennan point to put the Bucs ahead two sets to one.

Blinn then took control early in the fourth set, opening a 3-0 lead and never trailing. Sophomore hitter/setter Kassandra De La Garza ended the match and the Bucs' tournament with a kill.

De La Garza led a balanced Blinn attack with eight kills, while Asante, sophomore hitter Aliyah Harris, and freshman hitter Nevaeh English added seven apiece.

Herring finished with 20 set assists and freshman setter Valerie Yambao had 12.

The Bucs were especially effective from the service line with 14 aces. Beddes led the way with four, while Herring added three.

Sophomore libero/defensive specialist Natalia Silva had a team-high nine digs, while Yambao and Neisner contributed seven apiece. Blinn also finished with 11 blocks, including three solo blocks and 16 block assists. King had two solo blocks and four assists, while Asante added one solo and four assists.

The victory came after the Bucs battled Daytona State, which Whitis believes is currently one of the best teams in junior college volleyball. The Falcons are 7-0 overall with four wins against ranked opponents.

"I'm not disappointed at all in the way we played against Daytona State," Whitis said. "The result of that match is indicative of where their team and our team stand. They are a better team than we are right now, but we took a set and then played them to three tight sets to end that match."

Harris led Blinn with 11 kills against Daytona State, while Asante added nine and De La Garza had eight. Herring and Yambao dished out 19 and 16 set assists, respectively.

Beddes paced the Bucs with three service aces and a team-high 12 digs, while Silva added nine digs. At the net, Blinn recorded 11 total blocks, including six solo blocks and 10 block assists. Asante led the defensive effort with two solo blocks and five assists.

Whitis said the level of competition throughout the weekend provided his young squad with an important measuring stick early in the season.

"There won't be a better tournament in junior college volleyball than this one all year except for the national tournament," he said. "I have a lot of respect for everybody who competed in this tournament. "We're still a work in progress right now, so at this tournament, against the teams we played, to come out of it 4-1 means I'm thrilled."

Five of the seven Region 14 volleyball programs competed in the tournament (Blinn, No. 5 Trinity Valley Community College, Navarro College, Tyler Junior College, and Panola College), giving Whitis an early look at much of the competition the Bucs will face during region play.

"Anybody can beat anybody," Whitis said. "Who knows what's going to happen in our region?"

Blinn will host its second and final home tournament of the season beginning Friday, Sept. 4, at the Kruse Center. The Bucs will face McLennan at 11 a.m. and Amarillo College at 3 p.m.

Blinn concludes the tournament Saturday, Sept. 5, against Laramie County Community College at 11 a.m. and Western Texas College at 3 p.m.

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

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Players Mentioned

#1 Caylie Neisner: L/DS; 5' 4"; Freshman

#5 Alana Asante: MB; 6' 0"; Sophomore; Eastern Wyoming C.C.

#6 Skylar Herring: S; 6' 0"; Freshman

#8 Valerie Yambao: S; 5' 8"; Freshman

#10 Nevaeh English: OPP; 5' 8"; Freshman

#11 Aliyah Harris: OH/OPP; 6' 1"; Sophomore; Tennessee State University

#20 London King: MB; 6' 1"; Freshman

#22 Natalia Silva: L/DS; 5' 9"; Sophomore

#23 Kassandra De La Garza: OPP/S; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#50 McKynzee Beddes: OH; 5' 11"; Sophomore; University of California, Riverside

Players Mentioned

#1 Caylie Neisner
: 5' 4"; Freshman
: L/DS

#5 Alana Asante
: 6' 0"; Sophomore; Eastern Wyoming C.C.
: MB

#6 Skylar Herring
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: S

#8 Valerie Yambao
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: S

#10 Nevaeh English
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: OPP

#11 Aliyah Harris
: 6' 1"; Sophomore; Tennessee State University
: OH/OPP

#20 London King
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: MB

#22 Natalia Silva
: 5' 9"; Sophomore
: L/DS

#23 Kassandra De La Garza
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: OPP/S

#50 McKynzee Beddes
: 5' 11"; Sophomore; University of California, Riverside
: OH