Match 20: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (15-4, 3-0) at Houston Baptist (8-9, 1-2)
Saturday, Oct. 3 • 1 p.m. • Sharp Gym (Houston, Texas)
Live Stats • Video
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Riding a five-match winning streak and winners of 11 of its last 12, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi continues on the road to face Houston Baptist.
The match marks the beginning of the stretch run in Southland Conference play as each of the Islanders' final 13 matches come inside the league. A&M-Corpus Christi finished off its non-conference slate on Thursday night, sweeping Prairie View for the second time in nine days.
The Islanders extended a pair of impressive trends in the victory, making it four consecutive sweeps and holding a fourth straight opponent to a hitting percentage below .100. Brittany Gilpin, Kelsee Felux and Kirstee McGarva led the attack with seven kills apiece while freshman Morgan Williams stepped up defensively with five blocks.
The Islanders continue to sit atop the Southland Conference at 3-0 with Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State joining them at 3-0. Meanwhile, Houston Baptist enters Saturday's showdown at 1-2 in the Southland and in eighth place in the league.
SCOUTING HOUSTON BAPTIST
The Huskies are 8-9 overall heading into Saturday after dropping their past two matches. Houston Baptist fell to Southeastern Louisiana 3-1 a week ago and dropped a 3-0 decision to Central Arkansas on Thursday.
Jessica Wooten powers the attack with 192 kills on the season for an average of three kills per set. Bailey Banks has produced another 145 kills for Houston Baptist wile Blair Gillard rounds out the big hitters with 102 kills.
Defensively, Houston Baptist sits third in the Southland with 135 blocks on the season. Gillard leads the block with 63 total on the season while Allison Doerpinghaus has another 54 total blocks on the season.
NOTING THE ISLANDERS
The four consecutive sweeps are the second-most by any Islanders squad to only the 2004 team which swept five straight matches. A&M-Corpus Christi has now swept 11 matches to this point of the season and is just one sweep shy of the single-season school record, set in 2012.
The Islanders continue to dominate the conference statistics, leading the Southland in hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage, assists, kills and digs. Individual Islanders also sit in the top 10 of every category except one in the conference.
A&M-Corpus Christi has not dropped a set since Sept. 18 in a 3-2 victory over Alabama State. Over the past twelve matches, the Islanders have only conceded five sets.
WHAT IT MEANS
The Islanders look to keep their position on top of the Southland Conference standings with a victory over Houston Baptist on Saturday. The match also kicks off a pivotal three-match stretch which sees the Islanders take on perennial contenders SFA and Northwestern State following Saturday's bout in Houston. The three-game swing will provide an early glimpse into the remainder of the Southland season and who may be contending for the regular-season crown.
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.
