HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Behind a record-setting .461 hitting percentage, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi extended its Southland Conference winning streak to 20 matches with a 25-18, 25-11, 25-23, sweep of Sam Houston State Tuesday night.
A pair of veterans led the Islanders' (6-6, 1-0) near-flawless attack as
Morgan Carlson and
Brittany Gilpin each drilled 10 kills to lead the match. Setter
Kristyn Nicholson engineered a Blue and Green offense which committed only four errors on the match.
"Start to finish we played great," said head coach
Steve Greene. "We had a really challenging preseason and we did that so we knew where we were at against some of the nation's best teams and see what some of our weaknesses were. We've really been focused on improving match-to-match and that really showed tonight. We were great tonight from literally the first point to the end of set three. To set the school record in hitting percentage shows our passing and setting were on all night."
An early first-set run turned a 5-5 match into a 12-7 Islanders lead. That was all the cushion the Blue and Green would need, rolling to a 25-18 win behind a blistering .522 attacking percentage.
In the second set, the Islanders fell behind 4-2 in the early going. The Bearkat (6-8, 0-1) lead was short-lived, as A&M-Corpus Christi reeled off 12 consecutive points highlighted by two blocks and back-to-back aces from Nicholson. Momentum was squarely with the Blue and Green, leading to a massive 25-11 win in set two.
The final set was a tight affair, with the Bearkats leading much of the early points. After cutting the lead to 18-17, the
Mallory Moran and
Madeleine Doud recorded back-to-back blocks to put the Islanders up for good.
RECORD SETTING OFFENSE
On a night when the Islanders shattered the school-record with a .461 hitting percentage, the theme was a balanced attack.
• Five Islanders recorded at lead four kills in the three sets. All five hit above .400 on the match.
• Outside hitter
Brittany Gilpin played error-free with 10 kills on 24 swings.
•
Morgan Carlson reached double figures for the third consecutive match.
• Middle blockers
Madi Fitzsimmons and
Madeleine Doud both hit above .600. Fitzsimmons had eight kills while Doud had four.
"We knew after this past weekend that we wanted to work on a few things," said Gilpin. "We wanted to start off strong and I think the passing was great, the setting was strong, the middles were great and all that coming together made this a great night."
THE CONDUCTOR
A major part of the offense clicking on all cylinders, setter Nicholson registered 33 assists. She also knocked down five kills to keep the Bearkats guessing all night.
"She really had great position on the ball," said Greene after what he called Nicholson's best match of the year. "I think we defended and passed really well which allowed her to get great position. She was able to use two or three options every play and it stressed the Sam Houston block and defense. When she fights for position like that, we look really good. She played an amazing match, by far the best she's played all year."
Nicholson echoed her head coach, noting that position proved key in the Islanders' success.
"I knew if I squared up and looked the same on every set then I would get a lot of good opportunites for my hitters," said the junior setter. "I just made sure to really distribute it well enough so they wouldn't know where I was going next. Our hitters were great tonight and I'm really proud of them."
BACK TO DUGAN
The Islanders return home Thursday night for the first Southland Conference match inside Dugan Wellness Center this season. The Blue and Green hosts Abilene Christian with first serve coming at 6:30 p.m.
