CORPUS CHRISTI – The Texas A&M - Corpus Christi volleyball team shut out the McNeese State Cowgirls 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-20) today in the Dugan Wellness Center to improve to 7-3 in Southland play. Senior Brianna Brink powered the Islanders (14-13, 7-3 SLC) with her 10th double-double of the season with 19 kills and 11 digs while Brittany Gilpin posted 10 kills.
A&M - Corpus Christi hit .276 in the match and held the Cowgirls (12-14, 2-8 SLC) to .121 hitting. Freshman Kristyn Nicholson dished out 45 assists, marking her ninth match of the season where she has registered at least 40 assists. Kate Klepetka propelled the Islanders' defense with 22 digs while Ivy Baresh added 12.
The Islanders came out strong in the first set with a 10-4 lead after a kill by Gilpin. A&M - Corpus Christi extended their lead to 16-8 after scoring four straight on back-to-back kills by Kelsee Felux and Baresh and straight aces by Nicholson. The Islanders took their biggest lead of the set at 21-11 after a trio of kills by Baresh and Gilpin, before the Islanders closed out the first set on a 4-1 run to win 25-12. Gilpin scored three of the four points with a pair of kills and a solo block. The Islanders hit an impressive .421 in the first set and held the Cowgirls to .125 hitting.
The Cowgirls answered back in the second set to jump out to an early 7-3 lead, before the Islanders rallied back with a 5-0 run to push ahead at 8-7. After a kill by McNeese State, the two teams exchanged points before the Islanders took the lead for good after Phelps hit back-to-back kills to push the Islanders ahead 11-9. A&M - Corpus Christi maintained its lead after kills by Brink and Nicholson put the Islanders ahead 18-13. The Cowgirls rallied back to pull within two at 18-16, but a 7-3 run by the Islanders capped the set and the win 25-19. A&M - Corpus Christi hit .282 in the set and limited McNeese State to .167 hitting.
In the third set, the Islanders surged out to an 11-4 lead after a kill by Gilpin and an attack error by the Cowgirls. A&M - Corpus Christi kept the strong lead before McNeese State trimmed the lead to two at 15-13 on a 6-1 run. After going neck-and-neck the rest of the way the Islanders scored the final two points on a kill and a block by Brink to win 25-20.
The Islanders will now head on the road for four conference matches. First up is a match in Beaumont, Texas, against Lamar on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m.
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