THIBODAUX, La. – After a slow start in the first set, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi found the next gear behind Morgan Carlson's match-leading nine kills to sweep Nicholls 25-18, 25-16, 25-20, Thursday night.
Trailing 18-17 in the first set, senior Ivy Baresh leveled the set at 18-all before Carlson sparked a furious run. Carlson's kill gave the Islanders (21-4, 9-0) a lead they would never relinquish. The Islanders would close out the set by winning the final eight points including a pair of kills from freshman Morgan Williams, one of which put the cap on the opening game.
"We got off to a little bit of a slow start tonight, but Kristyn got our serve game going at the end of the first set and we never looked back," said head coach Tony Graystone. "We held Brittany and Kelsee out tonight so we were a little uneven, but it was good to see Mo and Kirstee step in and play well."
The blue and green was not done yet, as the Islanders would race out to a 6-0 advantage in the second set, making a string of 14 unanswered points. From there, the Islanders cruised to their 15th sweep of the season and 9-0 in conference play.
STEPPING UP
Kirstee McGarva came off the bench for the Islanders to knock down another seven kills. The sophomore finished as the second-leading scorer on a tough night offensively for the Islanders. Coming in as the conference leader in hitting percentage, the Islanders hit just .202 on the night, their second-lowest total in conference play.
• McGarva's seven kills mark the third time the sophomore has knocked down seven or more kills in Southland play.
• Williams matched her career high with five kills on the night. The freshman also hit a career-best .417.
• Carlson' team-leading nine kills give her six-straight matches with eight or more kills.
• The Islanders served 11 aces against Nicholls, their second highest total of the year.
• Setter Kristyn Nicholson finished with 27 assists and three of the Islanders' 11 service aces.
"Kristyn was very good tonight and did a great job of spreading the ball around," said Graystone. "She really held us together."
DEFENSE MEETS THE CALL
While it was a uncharacteristically tough night on the attack, the Islanders were true to form on the defensive side, holding Nicholls to a .159 mark. The Islanders finished the match with 62 digs, their highest total in a three-set match this season.
• Libero Kate Klepetka finished the night with 23 digs. That makes three-straight matches with over 20 digs for Klepetka.
• Klepetka continues to see her digs per set average climb as she entered the day fourth nationally. Following the better than seven digs per game average at Nicholls, that number has crept to 5.96 for the season.
• Baresh recorded her fourth double-digit dig match of the past five. Baresh finished the evening with 11 along with Shayla Maldonado.
MATCHING THE RECORD
• With their 21st win of the season, the 2015 Islanders have tied the 2012 squad for the most wins in program history.
• The Islanders continue to stretch the all-time record for consecutive wins as tonight was the 11th in-a-row.
UP NEXT
The Islanders will make the short trip over to Lake Charles, La. to face McNeese State on Saturday. The Cowgirls have already proven a dangerous team, giving Central Arkansas it's only other conference loss two weeks ago. First serve is set for 12:30 p.m.
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.
