BEAUMONT, Texas – The Texas A&M – Corpus Christi Volleyball Team lost a tough 3-1 (25-16, 15-25, 26-24, 25-20) final against the Lamar Cardinals on Saturday afternoon at McDonald Gym in a Southland Conference road match.
The Islanders fall to 9-13 on the season with a 1-5 mark in the Southland Conference. Lamar moves to 6-15 on the year, 4-2 in league play. Brooke Alverson led the team with 13 kills in the match while Tina Chavis was also in double digits with 10 kills. Logen Bourque led Texas A&M – Corpus Christi with 34 assists and had 11 digs while Micah Nolan was tops with 17 digs.
In the first set, Lamar scored the first two points, but the Islanders came back with a service ace from Nolan and a kill by Alverson to help take a 3-2 lead early on. With the score tied 5-5, Lamar went on an 11-4 run over the next 15 points to take a 16-9 lead on the way to a 25-16 set win for a 1-0 lead.
With the score tied at 5-5 in set two, the Islanders outscored the Cardinals 13-3 to take a 10-point lead at 18-8 with kills coming from Isabella Arcidiacono, Shannon Hullum, Chavis, Alverson and Brianna Brink while Arcidiacono, Chavis and Alverson added blocks to put Texas A&M – Corpus Christi in control. The lead grew to as much 11 at 21-10 on a Hullum service ace before the Islanders closed out the set with a 25-15 win to even the match at 1-1.
Set three was tied at 11-11, but kills from Hullum, Alverson and Brink helped the Islanders score five-straight points for a 16-11 lead. The Cardinals rallied to take a 19-17 lead, but kills by Alverson and Chavis helped Texas A&M – Corpus Christi regain a 21-20 lead. The score was tied as late as 24-24 before back-to-back points by Lamar gave the Cardinals a 26-24 set and a 2-1 lead.
The final set started out with the two teams playing to a 6-5 lead for Lamar, but a 15-4 run by the Cardinals put the lead at 21-9 before a late Islanders rally. The score closed to within four at 24-20 as Texas A&M – Corpus Christi made a comeback, but it was not enough as Lamar took a 25-20 victory for a 3-1 match win.
The Islanders will be in action next against Nicholls on Thursday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Dugan Wellness Center. It will be the annual "Dig Pink" match for Texas A&M – Corpus Christi in support of breast cancer awareness and research. Fans are encouraged to come out, wear pink and cheer the Islanders on to victory.
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