PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – Heading away from home did little to change the outcome for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi as the Islanders swept a fourth consecutive match, topping Prairie View 25-10, 25-12, 25-19 on Thursday night.
After a slow start to the opening set, the Islanders (15-4) finished with fervor by tearing off a 17-2 run. With the score level 8-8, freshman Morgan Williams knocked down three blocks over the next five points to spark the Islanders into gear.
With the block rolling, the Islanders turned in yet another stellar defensive performance, limiting the Panthers to a minus-.094. The feat marks the fourth consecutive match in which the Islanders defense has held an opponent to a sub-.100 hitting percentage. The Islanders finished the match with eight blocks and even when the block did not connect, its presence was felt as Prairie View (0-16) committed 26 errors.
"It was a solid match tonight," said head coach Tony Graystone. "I was really happy with our serve and block. The offense got better set-by-set and I felt our outside hitters did a great job with their shot selection when we were out of system. This was a great start to our road trip and now we can turn all our attention to Houston Baptist."
Williams would go on to lead the block with five block assists while Kelsee Felux jumped in on three blocks herself. Felux, who returned to the lineup following a week of illness, was a force offensively as well with seven kills.
Brittany Gilpin carried her incredible hitting from last week into Thursday's match. The sophomore hit at a .588 clip in her two matches last week and hit the .500 mark once more against Prairie View with seven kills in fourteen attacks. Gilpin continued another impressive trend, making the Thursday victory the third-consecutive match she did not commit an error.
Along with Felux and Gilpin, Kirstee McGarva also finished with seven kills to lead the Islanders. The triumvirate accounted for 21 of A&M-Corpus Christi's 37 kills. Freshman Mallory Moran and junior Morgan Carlson chipped in 10 more after each knocking down five kills.
NICHOLSON DRIVES THE ENGINE
Setter Kristyn Nicholson piled up 10 points to co-lead the Islanders alongside Gilpin. Nicholson, who is top 10 nationally in assists, racked up 28 helpers to pair with four kills and five aces. The 10-point night fell just one shy of Nicholson's season high while the five aces set a new best in 2015. Both marks were the second-best in Nicholson's two years with the Islanders.
DEFENSE STAYS TOUGH
The old adage says defense wins championships and in the past four matches, the Islanders defense has denied opponents any glimpse of hope. In the four sweeps over the past nine days, the Islanders have held opponents to an incredible .010 hitting percentage.
In that same span, the Islanders have racked up 30 blocks to average 2.50 per set. That mark is nearly a full block better per set than the season average.
INTO THE SOUTHLAND
The Islanders now head into the thick of the Southland Conference slate with the remainder of the season being conference matches. The decisive run begins Saturday at Houston Baptist before the following week sees the Islanders travel to perennial challengers Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State.
For more information on the Islanders volleyball team throughout the season, check them out on Twitter (@IslandersVB) and on their Facebook page (Islanders Volleyball), and download the official Islanders Front Row app for scores, updates, live stats and live video of all Islanders events.
