BEAUMONT, Texas – The Texas A&M - Corpus Christi volleyball team earned its third straight sweep with a 3-0 win (25-22, 25-17, 25-23) tonight over Lamar in McDonald Gym. The Islanders (15-13, 8-3 SLC) posted 62 digs in the match and held the Cardinals (3-19, 3-7 SLC) to .155 hitting.
Senior Brianna Brink propelled the offense with her 11th double-double of the season with 11 kills and 10 digs while fellow senior Ashley Phelps posted 10 kills on .292 hitting. Kristyn Nicholson dished out 37 assists and racked up a pair of aces and eight digs. For the defense, Ivy Baresh powered the team with 15 digs and Kate Klepetka registered 14 digs. Baresh also served up three aces and Shayla Maldonado added two.
The Islanders opened with an early lead in the first set and pushed ahead at 11-9 after a kill by Phelps. However the Cardinals rallied back with a 3-0 run to garner a 12-11 lead. After rallying back and forth, Lamar put together a 5-1 run to take an 18-15 lead and force the Islanders to call a timeout. From there, Phelps ignited the Islanders with a pair of kills to knot the set at 18-18. After exchanging points back and forth, Brink jumpstarted a 5-1 run to help the Islanders close out the first set with a 25-22 win. A&M - Corpus Christi hit .231 in the set, which featured 12 ties, and held Lamar to .143 hitting.
The Islanders carried over the momentum into the second set to take a 5-1 lead before extending their lead to 10-5 after a solo block by Kelsee Felux and a kill by Phelps. A&M - Corpus Christi put together a seven-point cushion after a kill by Brittany Gilpin before closing the match out on a 3-0 run to win 25-17. The Islanders hit a set-high .353 and held the Cardinals to .119 hitting.
A&M - Corpus Christi took control early in the third set with a 7-5 lead after Nicholson and Gilpin teamed up for a block assist. The Islanders kept things rolling after a kill by Felux at 10-7. Lamar rallied back with three straight points to knot the set at 10-10, but a service error by the Cardinals and a cross-court kill by Baresh put the Islanders ahead for good at 13-11. The Islanders kept surging ahead to take a 21-14 lead on an 8-2 run. Gilpin started the run with a kill before Phelps followed with a kill and Baresh served up three consecutive aces. After Lamar struck back with a 5-2 run to trim the Islanders' lead to two, the Islanders maintained its lead and clinched the set at 25-23 with a kill by Brink.
The Islanders will now travel to Huntsville to face Sam Houston State on Saturday, Nov. 1. First serve is set for 2 p.m.
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