CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Following a third-set rally Tuesday to hold off Incarnate Word, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi returns to the Island to host McNeese and Nicholls in the final two home matches of the season.
The Islanders (17-7, 12-0) will also be chasing their second-consecutive Southland Conference regular season championship. After Tuesday's action, including a loss for second-place Stephen F. Austin, the Islanders will clinch the title with their next victory.
A&M-Corpus Christi hosts McNeese Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. inside the Dugan Wellness Center. The Islanders then celebrate Senior Day on Saturday against Nicholls in a 1 p.m. first serve sponsored by Domino's Pizza.
TITLE HUNT
• At 12-0 in Southland play, the Islanders now hold a three-game lead over second-place Stephen F. Austin.
• The Islanders need just a single win to guarantee finishing no worse then 13-3 and would subsequently hold all tiebreakers over SFA.
• In identical fashion to the 2015 title run, the Islanders now have a chance to clinch the regular season crown in game 13 of the conference season.
ISLANDER INSIGHT
• Senior
Morgan Carlson had a big night in the win over UIW Tuesday with 17 kills and a .577 hitting percentage.
•
Brittany Gilpin followed with 15 kills and a dozen digs for double-double number 11 on the season.
• The Islanders hit over .300 as a team for the sixth time this season.
On Saturday, the Islanders will recognize a pair of seniors in
Morgan Carlson and
Kate Klepetka. Carlson is second on the team with 238 kills this season and is averaging a career-best 2.77 kills per set. Klepetka, a senior academically, has broken the school's all-time digs record in just three seasons. The libero now has 1,597 digs in her career, surpassing the previous record of 1,584.
SCOUTING MCNEESE
• The Cowgirls are fighting for a spot in the Southland Conference tournament, currently occupying the eighth and final spot at 5-7 in league play.
• McNeese employs a diverse attack as four Cowgirls have over 200 kills on the season. Jenny D'Alessandro leads the pack with 211.
• McNeese ranks second in league play with 15.88 digs per set. Libero Bridget Justis is second with 5.00 per set.
• The Cowgirls rank 10th offensively with a .185 hitting percentage in league play while sitting seventh defensively, allowing opponents to hit .211.
SCOUTING NICHOLLS
• The Colonels enter the weekend with just a 3-9 mark in Southland play and sit two games outside the tournament seeds.
• Nicholls hits .206 in Southland matches, good for eighth in the league, while allowing opponents to hit .252. That mark is second to last in the conference.
• Kali Schwartz leads the Colonels with 240 kills on the year with Kaci Eaton also eclipsing the 200 plateau with 217.
• Alexa Perry is averaging a team-leading 4.34 digs per set on the back row.
• The Colonels are statistically the worst blocking team in the conference, averaging just 1.23 per set.
