HOUSTON – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi volleyball team continued its historic run as the Islanders matched a pair of school records in their fifth consecutive sweep, handing Southland foe Houston Baptist just its second home loss of the season Saturday afternoon, 25-20, 25-15, 25-16.
Junior right side Morgan Carlson stepped up to lead an Islanders attack which knocked down 37 kills in the match. Carlson finished her Saturday afternoon with 10 kills to pace the blue and green, setting a new career-high for kills in a Southland Conference match.
"I'm really happy with the win," said head coach Tony Graystone. "It's great to see us play like this on the road. Morgan Carlson broke out with a big offensive match and that's such a key for our team."
Behind Carlson, mainstays Kelsee Felux and Ivy Baresh piled up eight and seven kills, respectively. Felux, who continues to work back from illness, also jumped in on a pair of blocks for the Islanders. Sophomores Brittany Gilpin and Madeleine Doud rounded out another stellar offensive day with five kills apiece.
For the Islanders (16-4, 4-0) the storyline was very much rinse and repeat as the blue and green created early separation in the first set with a quick run. At 8-7, the Islanders capitalized on a service error from the Huskies (8-10, 1-3) as Kristyn Nicholson followed up with an ace from the line. Moments later, Baresh smashed her first kill of the day and the Islanders had an 11-7 advantage.
It wasn't much, but it was enough as A&M-Corpus Christi held the Huskies at bay to see out a 25-20 first set victory.
The Islanders made another early move in the second set, taking a 4-3 lead and turning it into an 11-6 edge over the next 10 points. With an opening in the middle of the set, Baresh sparked another run which would put the second game away for the Islanders. The senior took a Kate Klepetka set and sent it to the floor for a 15-10 advantage. The Islanders built off the momentum and ran the score out to 20-13 before finishing the set off at 25-15.
A&M-Corpus Christi threw its best punch of the day to open the third set, racing out to a 6-1 lead thanks to a pair of blocks from Gilpin, Carlson and Felux. The Huskies would pull back within two at 9-7, but that was as close as Houston Baptist would come, as the Islanders recorded a historic fifth sweep in a row and 12th of the season.
SWEEPING AWAY THE RECORD BOOKS
Saturday's sweep mean a pair of A&M-Corpus Christi all-time bests have been matched by the 2015 squad. With a fifth consecutive sweep, the Islanders equaled the 2004 team as the only clubs in school history to accomplish such a feat.
The sweep also brought the Islanders tally to 12 on the season, matching the 2012 squad for the most all-time on the Island. At this pace, the Islanders are on pace to sweep an incredible 19 matches this season.
CARLSON'S BIG DAY
The junior was all over the floor Saturday afternoon as she was an integral part in setting the early tone for the Islanders. Carlson had five of her 10 kills in the first set, en route to a career-best in Southland play.
The 10 kills were also a match high as Carlson hit .438 on the afternoon, matching her second-best performance of the season. Add in a block assist and Carlson finished the afternoon with 10.5 points, another match high.
DEFENSE DIGS DEEP
The Islanders had just four blocks on the day and three of those came in the final set, but that doesn't mean the defense was not up to its usual domination. A&M-Corpus Christi limited the Huskies to a .114 hitting percentage, once again stifling the opponent's attack.
The Islanders ended the match with 35 digs in the three sets, again showing the innate ability to keep the ball alive. While the block produced just four points, it pressured the Huskies into 19 errors.
UP NEXT
The victory sets up a showdown between a pair of undefeated Southland schools as the Islanders will travel to Nacogdoches to face Stephen F. Austin Thursday evening. Each team carries in a unique trend of its own as the Islanders have swept each of their conference matches while the Ladyjacks have come back from 2-0 deficits to win each of their past three Southland matches.
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.
