CORPUS CHRISTI – The Texas A&M - Corpus Christi volleyball team breezed to a 3-0 win (25-16, 25-17, 25-16) today over Lamar (5-23, 5-11 SLC) on Senior Day to clinch the No. 3 seed in the Southland Conference Tournament.
The Islanders (18-15, 11-5 SLC) will make their third consecutive appearance in the Southland Conference Tournament and their fourth overall appearance. The tournament will take place on Nov. 21-23 in Natchitoches, La.
Seniors Brianna Brink and Ashley Phelps, along with junior Haley Satterwhite Day were honored before the match as part of the Senior Day festivities. Brink had a strong match with 15 kills on .367 hitting while freshman Kristyn Nicholson posted her 12th double-double of the season with 29 assists and 12 digs. The Islanders' defense put together a solid effort, holding the Cardinals to .087 hitting and out-blocking them 8-4 at the net. Freshman Kate Klepetka led the surge with 17 digs, marking her ninth consecutive double-digit dig match.
The Islanders and Cardinals battled early in the first set, which featured eight ties and four lead changes. The two teams stayed even until the Islanders put together a 3-0 run to push ahead for good at 14-11. Following a timeout by Lamar, the Cardinals trimmed the lead to two, but a kill by Ivy Baresh kept the Islanders ahead at 15-12. From there, the Islanders padded their lead to 21-15 after a service error by Lamar and an ace by Gilpin to force another timeout by the Cardinals. A&M - Corpus Christi then closed out the set on a 4-1 run to win 25-16. During the run, Brink put down a pair of kills and Baresh nailed a kill down the line to secure the set. The Islanders hit .290 in the set and held Lamar to .115 hitting.
The Islanders came out strong to start the second set with a 4-0 lead. Lamar clawed their way back to pull within one at 8-7, but from there the Islanders took control of the set to build a 12-8 lead after putting together a 4-1 run. A&M – Corpus Christi then tacked on its biggest lead of the set at 17-10 after Phelps hammered down one of her four kills in the match. The Islanders eventually closed out the set on a 3-0 run to win 25-17. During the run, Brink and freshman Madeleine Doud posted kills. The Islanders hit .194 in the set and held the Cardinals to .103 hitting.
The final set was much like the second, with the Islanders jumping out to an early lead before the Cardinals struck back to tie the set at 6-6. From there the Islanders and Cardinals went neck-and-neck before the Islanders capitalized on a service error by Lamar and back-to-back blocks by Nicholson and Doud to take a 12-9 lead. The Islanders continued to extend their lead and built a 22-15 lead on a 4-1 run. During the run, Nicholson, Baresh and Gilpin each chipped in kills. After a kill by Lamar, the Islanders scored three straight with consecutive kills by Baresh and Brink, and a block assist by Doud and Kirstee McGarva, to win 25-16. The Islanders ignited for a .242 hitting percentage in the set and held the Cardinals to .053 hitting. The Islanders' defense was also impressive as they out-blocked Lamar, 5-1, and posted 20 digs in the set.
The Islanders will now await their opponent for next weekend's Southland Conference Tournament that will take place on Nov. 21-23 in Natchitoches, La.
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