CORPUS CHRISTI – The Texas A&M - Corpus Christi volleyball team out-blocked UCA, 11-5, and four Islanders finished in double-figure kills, but it wasn't enough as the Islanders fell short, 3-1 (18-25, 25-20, 25-18, 26-24) tonight in the annual Dig Pink match at the Dugan Wellness Center. In front of 1,021 fans in attendance, Evie Singleton powered the Sugar Bears (15-7, 10-0 SLC) with 26 kills on .438 hitting to secure UCA their 38 straight Southland Conference match.
Brianna Brink propelled the Islanders' (12-13, 5-3 SLC) offense with her ninth double-double of the season with 18 kills and 13 digs. She also collected a career-high eight block assists to lead the Islanders at the net. Ashley Phelps added 13 kills while Ivy Baresh chipped in 11 and Brittany Gilpin notched 10. Kristyn Nicholson dished out 50 assists and registered 11 digs, while Kate Klepetka led the defense with 14 digs and Hailey King added 13.
The Islanders matched a season-high 11 blocks and notched a season-best 20 block assists, to out-block UCA 11-5. The Sugar Bears hit .298 and held the Islanders to .267 hitting.
A&M - Corpus Christi came out strong in the first set and maintained its lead through the set to garner a 25-18 first-set win. The Islanders hit .290 and limited the Sugar Bears to .156 hitting. The Islanders padded their lead at 16-11 on a 3-0 run, before a pair of blocks extended the Islanders lead to 22-17. After exchanging points back-and-forth Phelps closed out the set with a kill.
UCA hit .359 in the second set and held the Islanders to .342 hitting to win 25-20 and even the match at 1-1. The Islanders led early on at 10-7 to force a timeout by Central Arkansas. Following a kill by Felux out of the timeout, the Sugar Bears put together an 8-0 run to push ahead 15-11. From their UCA held its lead the rest of the way to secure the set.
Central Arkansas carried over their momentum into the third set to take an early 5-1 lead. After a timeout by the Islanders, the Sugar Bears padded their lead to 13-5 after back-to-back kills by Heather Schnars. The Islanders kept battling and trimmed the deficit to three with a kill by Brink at 17-14. A&M - Corpus Christi stayed within striking distance after straight kills by Phelps at 20-17, but UCA scored four straight points to take a 24-17 lead. Phelps nailed another kill before a kill by Schnars sealed the 25-18 victory for UCA. The Sugar Bears hit an impressive .485 in the set and limited the Islanders to .231 hitting.
In the final set, UCA built a 12-8 lead, before the Islanders pulled within two with a kill by Brink and an attacking error by the Sugar Bears. However, UCA surged ahead until the Islanders put together a late rally on a 5-1 run to knot the set at 23-23 after Brink and Gilpin teamed up for the block assist. Singleton followed with a kill before Baresh slammed it down to tie the set at 24-24. UCA then scored two straight after a kill by Singleton and an ace by Kristine Hjembo to clinch the match.
The Islanders will continue Southland play at home on Thursday, Oct. 23, when they host Nicholls at 7 p.m.
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