CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – In front of a raucous, record-breaking crowd of 1,398 inside of Dugan Wellness Center, Morgan Carlson's match-high 11 kills led the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi volleyball team to a sweep of the University of the Incarnate Word, 25-18, 25-22, 25-21.
Carlson was hot from the outset, knocking four kills to the floor in the first set to stake the Islanders (19-4, 7-0) to an early lead in the annual Dig Pink match. Following Carlson's lead, the Islanders converted on 14 of their 31 attacks in the opening game to hit at a .323 clip in the 25-18 victory.
The junior had her best game of the night in the middle set, hitting five kills in seven attacks while not committing an error. While Carlson had another hot set, the Islanders as a team dropped to a .211 hitting percentage as Incarnate Word began adjusting.
"Incarnate Word is a tough matchup for us," said head coach Tony Graystone. "They're a very scrappy team and play their system very well. Offensively, Morgan was huge for us. The last couple of weeks she's really come on and started producing big numbers like she was at the beginning of the season. We're excited to see that and she was a big part of tonight's win."
With both teams extending points left and right, the Islanders once again turned to their stellar backline. OF course, it helps to have the Southland Conference dig leader anchoring the middle as libero Kate Klepetka racked up 22 digs, her best performance in a three-game conference match this season. The sophomore put the cherry on top of a solid night by finding the floor with a pair of kills as well, matching her career high.
The Islanders followed their recipe for success, slowly build a lead in the first set after trading the early points. From 4-3, A&M-Corpus Christi strung together three points here and a pair there before finding itself with a 17-10 advantage. From there, the teams traded points before senior Ivy Baresh ended the set with her fourth kill of the match. Baresh would finish the night with eight kills to pair with nine digs defensively.
The second set brought much of the same as the Islanders found themselves with a 16-10 lead midway through the set. Incarnate Word did not roll over though, as the Cardinals used a 3-0 run to pull as close as 24-22. The visitors were their own undoing, however, as a service error sent the Islanders into the break with a 2-0 lead. It was 1-of-12 service errors committed by the Cardinals on the night.
After the Cardinals scored the first point of the third set, the Islanders ran on three in a row and never trailed again. The 14th sweep of the season builds upon the school record as the Islanders won their ninth match in-a-row.
A RECORD CROWD
1,398 pink-clad fans packed shoulder-to-shoulder in the Dugan to set a new record as the largest home crowd to ever take in an Islanders' volleyball match had a lot to cheer about. Nearly two hours before first serve, the lawn outside the Dugan was filled with students at the Dig Pink pregame party and the line formed shortly after.
"Our crowd was amazing," said Graystone. "I went outside an hour before the match and the line was incredible. The students were stretched halfway across campus. This environment was like none other."
All day campus was abuzz with anticipation for the Islanders' return to their home floor. That energy filled the Dugan with a deafening roar throughout the evening as the Islanders made sure the crowd was treated to a show.
CARLSON'S BIG NIGHT
The junior right side is no stranger to strong offensive nights, coming into Thursday's match with seven double-digit nights on the season. But, for Carlson, the 11-kill performance was her best of the Southland slate to date. With the Cardinals' block keying on the outside hitters, Carlson made a living slicing kill after kill across the court.
"Coming out, the crowd really amped us up and we fed off that in the first set," said Carlson. "Kristyn [Nicholson], my setter, was putting the ball up perfectly all night. With those kind of sets, I was able to get in a groove and have a big game."
JUST KEEP ROLLING
The Islanders have gone nine matches and 27 days without losing a match. In that stretch, the blue and green have only dropped four sets, sweeping seven times. The Islanders will look to make extend its streak to double digits on Saturday afternoon as Abilene Christian comes to the Island.
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.
