Women's Volleyball 9/11/2026 9:18:00 AM

No. 4 Blinn sweeps Amarillo to begin Amarillo Tournament

The Buccaneers improved to 14-2 overall behind their ninth sweep of the season

Women's Volleyball 9/11/2026 9:18:00 AM

No. 4 Blinn sweeps Amarillo to begin Amarillo Tournament

The Buccaneers improved to 14-2 overall behind their ninth sweep of the season

The No. 4 Blinn College volleyball team passed its first true road test of the season Thursday, sweeping Amarillo College 25-21, 26-24, 25-20 at the Amarillo Tournament.

The Buccaneers improved to 14-2 with the victory, overcoming a tough environment and a trio of competitive sets to earn their ninth sweep of the season.

"It was a real road test on a Thursday night in a packed gym, with people screaming and hollering right at us," Blinn head coach Gregg Whitis said. "It was a big crowd and a tough environment to play in, but we handled it and sent some people home quietly."

The second set provided one of two big challenges on the night. Amarillo reached set point, but Blinn responded to close it out 26-24.

"I took a timeout and I was telling them, 'We have our hands on this set, so we have to be good coming out of this timeout,'" Whitis explained. "We let them get a set point on us, but we stood up against that and recovered.

"All of the sets were tight, but we gave ourselves just enough room at the end and were able to finish each one."

The Bucs then found themselves trailing 17-10 in the third set before putting together a 15-3 run to take control and complete the sweep.

"We were down in the third, but we were able to come all the way back," Whitis said. "We weathered it all and finished it off."

Sophomore hitters Aliyah Harris and McKynzee Beddes led the Bucs offensively with 16 and 14 kills, respectively. Blinn hit .255 as a team, while freshman setters Valerie Yambao and Skylar Herring recorded 21 and 15 assists.

Beddes and Harris were instrumental in helping the Bucs clinch the close sets.

"I couldn't be prouder of Beddes," Whitis said. "She handles all the responsibility of her position. She's playing six rotations as a hitter, she's receiving it well, and she's scoring for us at a high clip.

"Harris also played big for us at the end of every set offensively."

Sophomore libero/defensive specialist Natalia Silva led Blinn with 17 digs, while Kaylen Ottmers provided a strong performance in serving and serve receive.

Blinn finished with three service aces, 47 digs, and seven total blocks.

At the net, freshman middle blocker London King had four block assists, while sophomore hitter Kassy De La Garza added three block assists. Sophomore middle blocker Alana Asante recorded one solo block and two block assists.

Freshman libero/defensive specialist Kaylen Ottmers also saw time as she continues working her way back from injury and added six digs, a set assist, and a service ace.

"Kassy made a huge block in the third set on Amarillo's tough hitter," Whitis said. "London King made some strong plays, and Kaylen Ottmers was solid in serving and serve receive."

The Bucs will continue play at the Amarillo Tournament with two matches Friday. Blinn will face Midland College at noon before taking on McCook Community College at 4 p.m.

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

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Players Mentioned

#3 Kaylen Ottmers: L/DS; 5' 3"; 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

#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

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

Players Mentioned

#3 Kaylen Ottmers
: 5' 3"; 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

#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

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