Conway, Ark. – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi volleyball team fell behind in each of the five sets in its match with Louisiana Tech on Friday morning and could not overcome the repeated deficits, dropping the match 20-25, 25-14, 27-29, 25-20, 17-19.
The Lady Techsters (6-5) used a stellar defense, holding the Islanders (10-4) to just .170 hitting, and timely attacking to snap A&M-Corpus Christi's six-match winning streak. Marta Monne tallied 23 kills to lead the way for Louisiana Tech and set a match-high. The .170 hitting percentage marks the second-lowest total the Islanders have been held to this season only to Northwestern who stifled the Islanders attack to a .107 average.
For the Islanders, Ivy Baresh set a season-high and matched her career-best with 21 kills in the contest. Kelsee Felux chipped in 14 kills herself while Brittany Gilpin knocked 11 kills and recorded five blocks at the net.
Yet it wasn't enough as the Islanders and Lady Techsters traded sets throughout the match as the blue and green faced an uphill climb all morning. Down 8-3 in the first set, A&M-Corpus Christi managed to claw back to within one at 10-9, but LA Tech had an answer. The Lady Techsters reeled off eight of the next 12 points in the set to regain the upperhand and see out a 25-20 victory.
The Islanders would battle back in the second set, rallying from a 6-3 deficit to claim a 25-14 win to even the match. Down early in the second, Kristyn Nicholson came up with a kill which ignited an 11-1 run to send the Islanders sailing away down the stretch. Baresh earned three kills in the big rally to set the stage for her career match.
The third set followed right in line with the storyline as the Islanders dug a 17-10 hole. Yet, the blue and green had an answer as a Morgan Carlson kill and back-to-back aces from Kate Klepetka opened another furious comeback. The Islanders would pull level at 23-23 and even glimpsed set point at 24-23 after a Louisiana Tech timeout. The Lady Techsters rebounded, however, trading points with the Islanders until an attack error and block sealed the third set.
Down two sets to one, the Islanders desperately needed a better start to set four but once more landed in an early 10-6 deficit. Much like the second set, A&M-Corpus Christi showed grit, slowly but surely working back into the set until leveling it at 15-15. The Islanders seized the momentum, stringing together an 8-2 run leading to the match leveling victory at 25-20.
The decisive fifth set was not much different from its previous four counterparts, as the Islanders again found themselves looking up in the early going as Louisiana Tech built a 7-4 advantage. True to form, the Islanders would rally, snatching a 9-8 lead and trading points down the stretch to match point. The Islanders and Lady Techsters battled beyond 15 before a block set match point and LA Tech's Marta Monee, who accumulated 23 kills in the match, fittingly ended the roller coaster affair.
The Islanders drop to 10-4 with the loss and will turn around to face Alabama State at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon.
