CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Down 16-11 in the third set of a tied match, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi faced the proposition of trailing in a Southland Conference for the first time this season. The Islanders would have none of it, however, as a pair of kills from
Erin Mulcahey and a trio from
Brittany Gilpin sparked a 6-1 run as the Blue and Green rallied all the way back to hold off Incarnate Word 25-21, 18-25, 25-22, 25-21.
"I'm really proud of that performance," said head coach
Steve Greene referencing his team's third-set rally. "UIW came at us with a lot of offense tonight and was really tough to handle. In set three, we're down five points, it's November, it's late in the season and for our team to say 'no, we're going to comeback' is really what we need at this point in the season. I was really proud of the way they did that."
Make no mistake about it, Tuesday night was a battle inside the McDermott Center as UIW (9-16, 5-7) pestered the Islanders (17-7, 12-0) with a lethal attack, hitting .315 on the night. A&M-Corpus Christi brought its own prolific attack, as
Morgan Carlson hit a fiery .577 with 17 kills to help the Blue and Green stave off the upset bid.
One of the key sparks in the third set rally, Gilpin added 15 kills as the Islander pin hitters picked apart the Cardinals' defense. The junior added 12 digs to record her 11th double-double of the year.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After the Islanders hit .393 in the opening set on the way to a 25-22 win, UIW caught fire in the second. The Cardinal attack hit .579 in the second set as Bryaunea Hall knocked down five of her 19 kills in the set. The middle helped the Cardinals level the match with a 25-18 set and snag the momentum heading into the break.
The Cardinals looked poised to be the first Southland Conference opponent to take a set lead on the Islanders, jumping out to a 16-11 advantage in the third. Yet the front-running Islanders had other plans.
With their backs to the wall, the Islanders reeled of a 3-0 run: Mulcahey, Mulcahey, Gilpin. That forced UIW to call timeout at 16-14. After a Cardinals point, it was Gilpin,
Morgan Williams and Gilpin again on another 3-0 run as the Islanders leveled the set at 17-all.
Trading the next four points, the Islanders took the lead at 20-19 as Williams rejected Sarea Alexander with authority. It was the point the Blue and Green needed as they never surrendered the advantage.
In the fourth, the Islanders took the lead at 8-7 and never trailed again. Looking to close out the Cardinals, A&M-Corpus Christi turned to its veterans and hottest hitters as Gilpin and Carlson combined for seven kills in the set.
CARLSON IN COMMAND
• The right side produced one of her best matches on the season, record 17 kills to fall one shy of her season-high.
• Her .577 hitting percentage marked a season-high for Carlson.
• Through the first two sets, Carlson was a perfect 9-for-9 on swings.
"Kris [Nicholson] did a really good job of leading me inside and outside," said Carlson. "That gave me easy shots to choose each time. Our passers got the ball to her quick and that helped me get a lot of splits."
TITLE THURSDAY?
With Tuesday's win coupled with Stephen F. Austin's loss to Sam Houston State, the Islanders now hold a three-game lead in the Southland Conference standings. The Blue and Green also holds the tiebreaker with SFA, meaning a win Thursday would clinch a second-consecutive regular season title.
The Islanders face McNeese Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. in the Dugan Wellness Center.
