The No. 4 Blinn College volleyball team completed a perfect run through the Amarillo Tournament on Saturday, rallying from behind in every set to sweep Western Texas College 25-20, 25-20, 26-24 in Amarillo, Texas.
The Buccaneers finished the tournament 4-0 and improved to 17-2 overall. Blinn finished 16-1 in its four regular-season tournaments this fall.
Saturday's victory marked the Bucs' 12th sweep of the season and completed a three-game season sweep of the Westerners. Blinn did not drop a set in any of the three meetings.
"It's good to win," Blinn head coach Gregg Whitis said. "We absorbed the loss of (sophomore hitter) McKynzee Beddes yesterday, but today we felt her absence. We were fortunate that we were able to come back late after trailing in every set. We were able to do just enough to take each set."
Freshman setters Skylar Herring and Valerie Yambao split setting duties, recording 17 and 15 assists, respectively.
Blinn finished with seven service aces, including two apiece from Smallwood and freshman libero/defensive specialist Kaylen Ottmers.
The Bucs also continued to play strong defense on the floor, collecting 52 digs. Sophomore libero/defensive specialist Natalia Silva led Blinn with 13, followed by Smallwood with 10, Herring with eight, and Harris with seven.
Blinn recorded six total blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Alana Asante led the front line with two solo blocks and three assists, while De La Garza added two block assists.
Despite the successful weekend, Whitis knows the Bucs will need to improve as they enter a challenging stretch of Region 14 play.
"We have to be better going forward from here on out," Whitis said. "Our region is proving to be really tough. It's always about the next opponent for us, and the next match now is Trinity Valley."
Blinn begins a string of four consecutive region matches with a road matchup against No. 8 Trinity Valley Community College at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, in Athens, Texas.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 53 national championships since 1987.
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Blinn College Buccaneers Athletics
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