Islanders Fall in Tussle with No. 18 San Diego

MADISON, Wi. -- Facing a tough test against the 18th ranked San Diego Toreros, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi put up a strong fight, but ultimately fell 25-20, 26-24, 25-18.
 
While a sweep in sets, the match was a back-and-forth battle throughout as the Islanders hung right with the Toreros.
 
In the opening set, both teams traded points with neither side trailing by more than three points as the score hit 21-20 in favor of 18th-ranked San Diego. Junior Brittany Gilpin was a major part of the early attack, flooring six of her team-high 12 kills in the first set.
 
From 21-20, the Toreros used a 4-0 run to finish out the opening set.
 
In the second, the Islanders raced out to a 5-2 advantage keyed by two blocks from the Blue and Green. For the third consecutive match, the Islanders recorded double-digit blocks, recording 11.5 blocks as a team. Again it was Gilpin who paced A&M-Corpus Christi, tallying five total blocks including a pair of solo stuffs.
 
The Islanders continued to lead through the second set until another late Torero run snagged the 26-24 second.
 
A slow start in the third saw San Diego take a 7-2 lead and never look back. The Toreros claimed the sweep with a 25-18 third set, led by Thana Fayad who floored 12 kills.
 
ULTIMATE TEST
 
The Islanders will face their toughest opponent in program history Sunday as the Blue and Green challenges No. 2 Wisconsin. On Friday, the Badgers swept San Diego in the HotelRED Invitational opening match.