CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – En fuego. There's no other way to describe the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi attack other than simply on fire after hitting .402 in yet another sweep inside of Dugan Wellness Center, toppling New Orleans 25-20, 25-10, 25-14.
The sweep ends a week which was perfect for the Islanders (14-4, 3-0) with three sweeps on their home floor. Dating back to a 3-2 victory over Alabama State a week ago Friday, the Islanders have now won 12 straight sets.
After a bit of a sluggish start in the first set, A&M-Corpus Christi managed to create a bit of space late in the set and claim a 25-20 win. From that point on, there was no stopping the Islanders' overpowering surge on offense.
"New Orleans did a pretty good job of slowing things down in the first set," said head coach Tony Graystone. "That kept us a bit out of our rhythm, but we talked about that in-between sets and the girls really responded. The second set we really picked up the tempo and applied a lot of pressure, once we found our pace, the girls did an incredible job of finishing."
It wasn't just about the attack, either, as the Islanders were able to sideout at an impressive 80-percent clip for the match. Included in that mark was a whopping 85-percent sideout-rate in the final set of the match.
"Honestly, I think that was the most fun part of the match to watch," said Graystone. "We did a great job of keeping our cool when the ball was just pinging around. We continued to find a way to keep the ball in play and win points."
Brittany Gilpin continued her unrelenting assault on opposing defenses this week, blasting eleven kills to lead the Islanders. Junior Morgan Carlson stepped in with another nine kills, while Ivy Baresh threw down another eight. It all added up to a .402 hitting percentage, falling just shy of the all-time record of .407 set against Coppin State in 2002.
On the defensive side, it was another team effort as three Islanders had double-digit digs. Kate Klepetka and Hailey King each picked up 11 digs while Baresh grabbed 10, herself. The effort on the dig, along with six blocks held New Orleans to a .081 hitting percentage in the match.
WHAT A WEEK
The sweep of New Orleans (8-7, 0-2) finishes off what may be one of the most impressive weeks in program history. The Islanders were perfect, sweeping all three matches in Dugan and produced nearly identical, decisive results.
A&M-Corpus Christi hit .326 for the week, and outscored its trio of opponents 225-130. The Islanders did not allow more than 20 points in any of the nine sets it played and allowed more than 15 points just twice.
The Islanders held all three of their opponents to less than a .100 hitting percentage for the match. The incredible defensive effort left opponents hitting just .041 against the Islanders on the week.
BRITTANY KILL-PIN
The sophomore middle blocker announced herself as a force to be reckoned with over the week, leading the team with 20 kills despite playing in just two of the three matches. Gilpin hit a remarkable .588 over the course of those two matches, including a resounding .688 on Saturday afternoon.
As if that wasn't enough, Gilpin was all over the net defensively, picking up eight total blocks. The eight blocks again led the team for the week in just two matches, averaging 1.33 kills per set.
UP NEXT
Following the perfect homestand, the Islanders now hit the road for four consecutive matches. A&M-Corpus Christi will make a return trip to Prairie View before heading to Houston Baptist, Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State over the next two weeks.
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.
