Lauren Paslay
led all players with 15 kills and shared the team lead with 17
digs, but it wasn't enough as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi fell 3-1
(23-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-23) to UT Martin in its first match of the
2008 season on the opening day of the Lady Govs Volleyball
Classic.
A&M-Corpus
Christi will face host Austin Peay tomorrow at 10 a.m. before
closing out the tournament with Southland Conference rival
Northwestern State 4 p.m. The team returns home to host the
Islander Holiday Inn Emerald Beach Invitational next weekend as
Colorado, UALR and Texas Southern visit Moody Field House.
The Islanders
jumped out to 1-0 advantage winning the first set 25-23. The tandem
of Beth Fionda and Paslay led the way with six kills apiece. The
two combined to have just one error on 19 attacks in the opening
game.
A&M-Corpus
Christi took an early 4-1 lead in the opening set, but found itself
down 13-8 after a kill by Taylor Noland, who had seven kills in 10
attempts in the opening contest with no errors. Beth Fionda capped
a 7-2 spurt by the Islanders that tied the game at 15.
UTM regained
the lead and led by two, 23-21, before A&M-Corpus Christi
scored the final four points. Fionda had a pair of kills and
combined with Amber Benjamin on a block as the Islanders took the
early 1-0 lead.
The Islanders
led 3-2 early in the second set, but trailed for most. After a
Molly McCabe service ace pulled TAMUCC to within 11-10, the
Skyhawks' Katherine Godina capped a 6-1 run with a kill. The
Islanders did not give in tying the game at 18 on an ace by Fionda,
but UTM closed the game with a 7-2 run.
The third game
was a see-saw battle as neither team led by more than a point until
the Islanders scored three straight with the game deadlocked at 12.
Paslay broke the tie with an ace, while Kasey McBrearty and
Benjamin each posted kills for a 15-12 advantage.
A&M-Corpus
Christi, would struggle with its hitting down the stretch hitting a
match-low .130 in the third game. Back-to-back errors by Fionda
allowed UTM to lead 20-19. A kill and ace by Paslay tied the game
at 22, but the Islanders could not close the game out.
In the final
game, the Islanders led by three on two occasions early. An ace by
Whitney Wehring gave the team a 7-4 advantage, while Paslay knocked
down a kill for an 8-5 Islander lead. A&M-Corpus Christi was
unable to pull away and trailed by no more than two points until
late in the match.
After a solo
block by Benjamin on Lauren Montague tied the game at 20, the
Skyhawks scored three straight points. Jenna Miller's ace pushed
UTM ahead 23-20.
The Islanders
pulled to within one at 24-23 on a kill by Meagan Luber and block
assist by Luber and Paslay, but could not finish off the comeback
as Godina ended the match with her eighth kill.
Three Islanders
finished with double-digit kills with hitting percentages over
.300. Paslay had 15 kills with two errors in 41 attempts, while
Benjamin led the team with a .320 percentage with 12 kills on 25
attempts and four errors. Fionda added 10 kills in 23 attempts with
three errors for a .304 mark as the Islanders hit .164 as a team.
Paslay and Wehring led the way with 17 digs, while McCabe dug up 13
balls. McCabe led all players with 49 assists. Paslay led the team
with four blocks, while Benjamin added three.
Montague and
Noland finished with 14 and 13 kills respectively to lead the
Skyhawks who hit .189 as a team. Four players recorded at least 11
digs led by Godina with 20.
