CORPUS CHRISTI – The Texas A&M - Corpus Christi volleyball team blanked Nicholls, 3-0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-13) tonight in Southland Conference play at the Dugan Wellness Center. Brianna Brink hit a solid .600 and led the Islanders (13-13, 6-3 SLC) to their third Southland Conference sweep of the season. The Islanders hit .330 in the match and held Nicholls (7-14, 3-5 SLC) to .118 hitting.
Brink led the Islanders with 10 kills while senior Ashley Phelps racked up nine kills on .391 hitting and Kristyn Nicholson passed out 30 assists to propel the offense. Nicholson also tied the all-time single match high for a three-set match with eight aces, including four in the third set. She matched Paula Araujo's record set in 2005 against Centenary. Kate Klepetka stepped up in the libero position and posted 20 digs to lead the defense, while Ivy Baresh chipped in nine. The Islanders also out-blocked the Colonels 6-1.
A&M - Corpus Christi opened the first set with a 12-5 lead after scoring three straight, including an ace by Baresh. The Islanders kept things rolling and built an eight-point advantage at 17-9 after Brink slammed a kill off the Nicholls block. After exchanging points back and forth, the Islanders went on a 5-0 run with kills by Brittany Gilpin, Baresh and Brink, to pad their lead to 23-12. After trading points, the Islanders secured the first set with a kill by Phelps to win, 25-14. The Islanders hit .333 in the set and held the Colonels to .103 hitting.
The Islanders kept the momentum going into the second set to clinch a 25-17 win. The Islanders hit .282 and limited Nicholls to .075 hitting. A&M - Corpus and the Colonels went neck-and-neck in the beginning of the set before the Islanders pulled away on an 8-1 run to take a 16-7 lead. After an Islanders' serving error, A&M - Corpus Christi scored three straight to build its biggest lead of the match at 19-8. The Islanders maintained their lead before sealing the 25-17 victory.
In the third set the Islanders hit a set-high .382 and limited Nicholls to .182 hitting to capture a 25-13 win. Nicholson started the Islanders off strong with a 5-0 lead after serving up two aces. The Islanders padded their lead to 20-8 after scoring six straight points. During the run, Nicholson chipped in two aces, Phelps added a pair of kills, and Brink and Kelsee Felux each added one kill apiece. From there both teams rallied back and forth before the Islanders picked up the win on a Nicholls serving error.
The Islanders will remain at home to host McNeese State on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m.
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