CORPUS CHRISTI – Senior Brianna Brink posted 20 kills and a career-high 20 digs, and the defense tallied 98 digs to help the Texas A&M - Corpus Christi volleyball team secure a 3-1 (25-20, 23-25, 25-23, 25-20) win over Houston Baptist today in the Dugan Wellness Center. The Islanders hit .311 as a team and held HBU (7-10, 2-1 SLC) to .227 hitting to clinch their second Southland Conference win of the season.
Brink led the Islanders (9-11, 2-1 SLC) with her sixth double-double of the season, while fellow senior Ashley Phelps helped lead the offense with 14 kills, and freshman Brittany Gilpin tallied a career-high 12 kills on .385 hitting. Kristyn Nicholson also had a solid match with her eighth double-double of the season. The freshman dished out a career-high 59 assists and registered 13 digs for the defense. Junior Hailey King helped lead five Islanders in double-digit digs with 23, and Ivy Baresh tallied 20 and freshman Maddy Wall chipped in a career-high 15 digs.
The first set was a back-and-forth battle with 12 ties and just three lead changes. The biggest lead either team built was two until the Islanders found momentum at 23-20. The Islanders pushed ahead at 21-19 after straight kills by Brink and Gilpin. After a timeout, HBU posted a kill before the Islanders scored four straight to clinch the first set, 25-20. During the run, Brink put down a kill and an ace before Baresh posted her third kill of the set. The Islanders captured the set on a hitting error by the Huskies. A&M-Corpus Christi hit .333 in the set and held HBU to .190 hitting. Brink led the set with seven kills on .333 hitting while King tallied seven digs and Nicholson passed out 16 assists.
The Huskies answered in the second set early with a 9-8 lead and held the lead throughout the match. After HBU put together a 4-1 run, the Islanders rallied back to pull within one at 15-14 after straight kills by Phelps. HBU however scored four straight to extend their lead to 18-14. Gilpin and Phelps put down back-to-back kills, and Felux and Nicholson teamed up for the block assist to trim the deficit to two. Following a timeout by the Huskies, the Islanders stayed within striking distance, but straight errors by the Islanders gave HBU a three-point advantage. Gilpin followed with a kill before the two teams exchanged points and HBU closed out the match with a kill to win 25-23.
The Islanders and Huskies tied eight times in the third set with just one lead change. The Islanders hit .350 in the set and held HBU to .255 hitting. After HBU tied things up at 11-11, the Islanders pushed ahead for good after consecutive kills by Haley Satterwhite Day. After a kill by the Huskies, A&M - Corpus Christi put together a 3-0 run that included back-to-back aces by Baresh. With the Islanders holding a four-point cushion, HBU cut the lead to two with a kill and an ace. A&M - Corpus Christi held its ground to win 25-23 despite a late comeback by HBU.
In the final set, the Islanders came out red-hot to record an impressive .471 hitting percentage. Phelps tallied six kills on a solid .857 hitting and the Islanders' defense tallied 15 digs. A&M - Corpus Christi started strong with a 7-2 lead before HBU rallied back to even things at 8-8. The two teams went neck-and-neck until the Islanders steadily pulled away to build a four-point lead. A&M - Corpus Christi maintained its lead and capped off the win on a 4-1 run. During the run Gilpin put down a kill and Phelps closed out the set and the match with three straight kills to help the Islanders win 25-20.
With the win, head coach Tony Graystone is one win away from his 400th career victory.
The Islanders will continue Southland play when they host Stephen F. Austin on Thursday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m.
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