CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – On Social Media Night and T-Shirt Tuesday, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi volleyball team sent another stellar crowd home celebrating a sweep as the Islanders knocked off Prairie View, 25-14, 25-12, 25-14.
Youth ruled the evening for the Islanders as sophomore Kirstee McGarva and freshman Hannah van Warmerdam led the attack in yet another sweep for the Islanders. McGarva played the leading role, knocking down a career-high 11 kills. Van Warmerdam made it a pair of career-best performances as the freshman finished with nine kills to match her best performance to date.
The youthful surge continued with freshmen Mallory Moran, Morgan Williams and Libbie Vickers all chipping in to the eighth sweep of the season for the Islanders. Moran notched six kills to rewrite her personal best on the Island while Williams added four kills herself. Vickers, meanwhile, made an appearance on the defensive side with four digs.
"I was really pleased with our effort tonight," said head coach Tony Graystone. "We got a chance to see a lot of younger players and they really stepped up. Kirstee McGarva was fantastic tonight and was probably the player of the match offensively. I was also impressed by [Madeleine] Doud. She was another player who had a big impact on both sides on the net this evening. Overall, it was nice to see some of our younger players rise to the occasion."
The Islanders defense was suffocating, holding Prairie View to a minus-.038 hitting percentage for the match. The sub-zero hitting percentage marks the second time this season the Islanders have accomplished the feat, joining a minus-.098 effort against Grambling.
Doud Defends the Net
Sophomore Madeleine Doud has become a regular in the Islanders rotation this season and the middle blocker led the way defensively against Prairie View. Doud was a part of six blocks in the match, equaling her season high and best performance since a nine-block night in a five-setter versus Loyola Marymount in 2014.
When the night was finished, the Islanders had racked up 10 blocks. It was the third time this season the Islanders eclipsed double-digits in blocks and the second time in three matches.
Three-and-Out
The Islanders have been perfect in six home matches inside the Dugan Wellness Center. In fact, the blue and green has dropped just one set all year on its home court with the outlier coming in a 3-1 victory over Rice. The Islanders have swept each of their other five matches on the Island and will look to continue that trend with a pair of home matches to close the week.
Up Next
The Islanders head into the heart of the Southland Conference slate by welcoming Southeastern Louisiana to Dugan on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. A&M-Corpus Christi will then host the Privateers of New Orleans on Saturday afternoon in a 1 p.m. start.
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.
