CORPUS CHRISTI – The Texas A&M – Corpus Christi Volleyball team was unable to figure out Sam Houston State on Saturday afternoon, falling 3-0 (25-14, 26-24, 15-11) against the Bearkats at the Dugan Wellness Center.
The Islanders (9-6, 2-2 Southland) lost for the first time at home this season, while Sam Houston (6-9, 2-2 Southland) evened their record in Southland Conference play. Unable to get in an offensive rhythm, the Islanders leading scorer was Haley Satterwhite with six kills on the afternoon. She was followed by Tyger Holt, Ivy Baresh and Brooke Alverson at five kills apiece. Micah Nolan led the way with 16 digs, while Baresh contributed 15 in the match.
Sam Houston State came out blazing in the opening set, scoring five points before Texas A&M – Corpus Christi was able to get on the board. The lead was cut to two at 8-6 on back-to-back kills from Satterwhite and Brianna Brink, but the Bearkats came back with five straight to make it a 13-6 advantage. The closest the Islanders could get was four points at 15-11 before SHSU finished the set with a 25-14 victory and a 1-0 lead in the match.
In the second set, the score was tied at 7-7 before Texas A&M – Corpus Christi scored three straight to take a 10-7 lead on a combined block by Satterwhite and Alverson, a kill by Holt and then a kill by Alverson. After a Bearkats kill, Satterwhite, Brink, Holt and Shannon Hullum added one each while Holt also picked up a block solo to make it a 17-8 lead.
Things looked to be in good shape for Texas A&M – Corpus Christi, but the Bearkats kept chipping away at the lead; cutting it to 17-11, then 20-16, before making a final push. At the end of the second set, the Islanders led 23-19, but the Bearkats scored six of the final seven, including the final five points, to rally for a 26-24 final and 2-0 match lead.
Unable to recover from the heartbreaking second set, Texas A&M – Corpus Christi fell by a 25-11 final in the third set as Sam Houston State completed the sweep.
Next up for the Islanders will be a pair of road games in Louisiana, taking on Nicholls this coming Thursday, Sept. 27, in Thibodaux, La., while traveling the short distance to Hammond, La. for a match against Southeastern La. on Sept. 29.
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