CORPUS CHRISTI – The Texas A&M - Corpus Christi volleyball team put together an impressive 12-1 run in the third set to sweep Omaha 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-21) on the second day of the Emerald Beach Islanders Classic at the Dugan Wellness Center.
The Islanders (6-7) posted a .265 hitting percentage and the defense held the Mavericks (4-6) to just .096 hitting. A&M - Corpus Christi also out-blocked Omaha, 7-5, with the help of freshman Brittany Gilpin who tallied six block assists. Ivy Baresh led the Islanders' offense with 10 kills and registered her sixth double-double of the season with 10 digs. Kristyn Nicholson ran the offense with 32 assists while Hailey King racked up 18 digs for the defense.
The Islanders came out strong in the first set to secure a 25-17 victory on .343 hitting. A&M - Corpus Christi held the Mavericks to .121 hitting and held their defense to 13 digs and one team block. King racked up eight of the Islanders set-high 21 digs while Brianna Brink tallied four kills and Nicholson dished out 13 assists. Omaha and the Islanders tied seven times in the set before the Islanders took control at 14-10 on a 3-0 run to force Omaha to call a timeout. The Islanders then padded their lead to 20-12 on a 9-2 run before closing the set out at 25-17.
In the second set, the Islanders posted a solid 80 percent sideout percentage. A&M - Corpus Christi built a 15-11 lead after a kill by Baresh and a block assist by Gilpin and Baresh. The Islanders held the lead before closing out the set on a 5-0 run to win 25-15. During the run, Ashley Phelps and Brink each picked up a kill and Nicholson served up an ace.
Omaha fought back in the third set to take an early 6-1 lead before extending its lead to 12-8. Phelps and Brink then hit consecutive kills to pull the Islanders within two. The Mavericks however extended their lead to 18-12 before both teams traded points back and forth. With the Mavericks in front 20-13, the Islanders rallied back with an impressive 10-0 run that included four service aces by Baresh and kills by Gilpin and Nicholson, to push ahead 23-20. After an Islanders' service error, A&M - Corpus Christi scored two straight for a combined 12-1 run to clinch the 25-21 third-set victory.
The Islanders continue play tonight against Houston at 7 p.m.
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