SAN ANTONIO – The Texas A&M - Corpus Christi volleyball team swept Incarnate Word 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-10) tonight in the McDermott Convocation Center. The Islanders exploded in the third set to hit .348 and clinch their fourth win in Southland Conference play.
Senior Brianna Brink propelled the Islanders' (11-12, 4-2 SLC) offense with 10 kills on .280 hitting while Ashley Phelps added eight kills. A&M - Corpus Christi who hit .242 in the match held the Cardinals (6-15, 2-6 SLC) to .047 hitting. Hailey King led the defense with 12 digs and Kate Klepetka added eight digs. Junior Chelby Stanford and freshman Kristyn Nicholson split setting duties tonight and they both finished in double figures with 17 and 14 assists, respectively.
The first set featured a back-and-forth battle that featured six ties and four lead changes. The Islanders and Cardinals tied early on before the Islanders scored three straight to push ahead 14-11. After a UIW timeout sparked two straight points for the Cardinals, Haley Satterwhite Day kept the Islanders in front with a solo block. Brink then followed with an ace before an attacking error by the Cardinals gave the Islanders a 17-13 lead. The Islanders maintained the lead and closed out the first set, 25-20, on a 3-0 run that included a kill by Brink, an ace by King and a block assist by Satterwhite and Brittany Gilpin.
The Islanders and Cardinals went neck-and-neck in the second set with 12 ties. A&M - Corpus Christi led early on with a 8-5 lead after a kill by Phelps and an ace by Ivy Baresh, but the Cardinals rallied back to knot the set at 9-9. After battling back-and-forth the Islanders garnered the lead at 17-14 on a 3-0 run. However, UIW answered back to even things up at 20-20. After trading points, the Islanders gained momentum and put together a 4-1 run to clinch the second set, 25-22. During the run, Gilpin put down a pair of kills while Satterwhite added one. A&M – Corpus Christi hit .333 in the set and held the Cardinals to .212 hitting.
The Islanders came out on fire in the third set to open with an 8-1 lead. A&M – Corpus Christi padded its lead to 10-3 after an attacking error by the Cardinals. The Islanders kept cruising as they built a 10-point lead after a kill by Brink, and then closed out the set on an 8-1 run to win 25-10. The Islanders hit an impressive .348 in the set and limited UIW to -.129 hitting.
The Islanders will continue Southland Conference play at Abilene Christian on Saturday, Oct. 18. First serve is set for 2 p.m.
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