Volleyball notes: Gonzaga’s Savannah Blinn not satisfied to just be good
Savannah Blinn last year became Gonzaga’s first All-WCC volleyball selection since 1994. It was a tremendous honor and source of pride for a program seemingly on the rise.
It just wasn’t enough.
Blinn approached trainer Travis Knight, who helped transform former Zag basketball player Kelly Olynyk during his redshirt year, shortly after her season ended.
“I was just tired of being another good player, tired of our team just going through workouts just to get through them,” Blinn said. “I told him I wanted to be a better player. I wanted to look and feel physically better. Everyone (on the team) kind of noticed I was going in at 6 a.m. so everyone just jumped on board.”
Those early morning sessions often found Knight working separately with Blinn and GU basketball player Kyle Wiltjer. Knight employs numerous methods, some unconventional, to get results. There is nothing easy about the process.
“Crazy workouts that no other brain could think up,” said the 6-foot-3 Blinn, a junior outside hitter from Lewiston. “He definitely thinks outside the box. The hardest times in my life have been those workouts. It’s nice that I don’t get as tired as I did in the past.”
Blinn, who said she’s in the best shape of her life, has 439 kills and a .324 hitting percentage. She ranks seventh nationally in kills per set (4.88). She had 400 kills and hit .330 – second highest in program history – last year.
Coach Dave Gantt said Blinn “has done everything we’ve asked and she still has some room for improvement.”
Blinn is quick to credit her teammates and coaches for her individual accolades. She just as quickly adds that she’d trade those honors for more victories. The Bulldogs (13-8, 5-6), who have dropped four of their last six, are bidding for a rare upper-tier finish in the WCC. They entertain Santa Clara on Thursday and San Francisco on Saturday.
“We started off really well and then just the last couple setbacks have hurt,” Blinn said. “We definitely have the talent and we’re on the road to where we want to be.”
Blinn hopes to become a teacher and volleyball coach, but not before exhausting her playing career.
“I want to play for as long as my body will let me,” she said. “I’m not ready to be an adult yet.”
Cards return to CSI
North Idaho College, which finished the regular season with a four-set loss to No. 4 College of Southern Idaho on Saturday, returns to Twin Falls this weekend for the Region 18 Tournament. Fourth-seeded NIC faces No. 5 Utah State University-Eastern on Friday with the winner advancing to meet No. 1 seeded CSI.
The Cardinals need to finish first or second to earn their fifth consecutive trip to nationals. CSI, Salt Lake and Snow, the top three seeds, are ranked in the top 10.
“We’re all kind of jumbled in there,” NIC coach Kelsey Stanley said. “Anyone could win, and that includes Utah State-Eastern. We can’t look past them.”
Notes
Washington State (10-14, 1-11 Pac-12) entertains Oregon State on Thursday and Oregon on Sunday. “We played well at times but once again those crucial errors when we need somebody to put the ball away,” coach Jen Greeny said after Sunday’s five-set loss to No. 16 UCLA. … Idaho (13-11, 9-3), which shares first in the Big Sky North with North Dakota, visits Southern Utah on Thursday before entertaining Eastern Washington on Saturday. The Eagles (9-16, 5-7) need a strong finish to secure one of eight spots in the conference tournament. … Whitworth (19-5, 12-2) visits George Fox on Friday and Lewis & Clark on Saturday in pursuit of a Northwest Conference championship. The Pirates have won 12 straight NWC matches and hold the tiebreaker over Pacific Lutheran (19-4, 12-2). … Community Colleges of Spokane is getting hot at the right time. The Sasquatch (28-11, 9-2 NWAC) have won nine straight, including a five-set victory over East Division-leading Blue Mountain. CCS entertains Yakima Valley tonight.