EDINBURG, Texas – The Texas A&M - Corpus Christi volleyball team rallied past Texas-Pan American to win 3-1 (25-21, 20-25, 25-22, 25-22) in the opening match of the UTPA Tournament. Ivy Baresh and Ashley Phelps powered the Islanders' offense with 18 kills apiece while Hailey King posted 21 digs to propel the defense.
The Islanders improve to 3-1 with the win while the Broncs drop to 0-4 on the year. Phelps hit .311 in the match while Baresh recorded her third double-double of the year with a season-high 18 kills and 16 digs. Also helping King and Baresh defensively was freshman Kate Klepetka with a career-high 15 digs. Freshman Kristyn Nicholson and junior Chelby Stanford shared setting duties, with Nicholson dishing out 19 assists and Stanford chipping in 18.
A&M - Corpus Christi jumped out to a strong start in the first set with a 9-1 lead after back-to-back kills by Brianna Brink, who registered nine kills in the match. UTPA rallied back to pull within three at 18-15 before the Islanders finished things off on a 3-1 run to win 25-21. During the run, Brink and Baresh put down kills, and Klepetka added an ace. The Islanders hit a set-high .293 in the win and held UTPA to .190 hitting.
The Broncs answered back in the second set with a 25-20 victory after building an early lead. UTPA opened with an 8-5 advantage before the Islanders evened things at 9-9. From there both teams tied three more times before a pair of kills by the Broncs gave the home team a 17-14 lead. The Islanders stayed within striking distance but a 4-0 run by UTPA closed out the match at 25-20. The Broncs held the Islanders to a .057 hitting percentage while recording a .286 hitting percentage themselves.
The Islanders bounced back in the third set to win a close 25-22 battle. After falling behind 9-5 on a 6-0 run by the Broncs, Baresh broke up the run with her 11th kill of the match, and added an ace before junior Kelsee Felux posted her second solo block of the season. The Islanders and Broncs rallied back and forth until the Islanders pushed ahead for good with three straight kills by Phelps, Nicholson and Baresh. A&M - Corpus Christi went on to win 25-22 after Phelps capped things off with a kill.
In the fourth set, UTPA took control early with a 12-6 lead on a 7-1 run. The Islanders answered back to knot the set at 18-18 before straight kills by the Broncs gave the home team a 20-18 advantage. After going neck-and-neck the Islanders closed it out on a 3-0 run to win 25-22. During the run Phelps tipped it over for her 18th kill and Nicholson found the open floor with her career-high sixth kill of the night.
The Islanders will continue play tomorrow at 10 a.m. against Northern Arizona before taking on Texas Tech at 2:30 p.m.
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