Volleyball Opens Home Slate with South Texas Showdown

SOUTH TEXAS SHOWDOWN presented by NavyArmy Community Credit Union
ISLANDERS (2-3) vs. UT Rio Grande Valley (4-2)
Tuesday • 6:30 p.m. • Dugan Wellness Center
Live Stats • Watch • Tickets • Match Notes
 
PROMOTIONS
Free t-shirts for the first 300 fans
 
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi volleyball opens its home schedule against UTRGV in the South Texas Showdown presented by NavyArmy Community Credit Union Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. in the Dugan Wellness Center.
 
The matchup with the Vaqueros marks the first home event of the newly minted South Texas Showdown series which pits the Islanders and Vaqueros in a year-long battle across 13 sports. The first 300 fans in attendance will receive a free South Texas Showdown t-shirt.
 
THE LAST TIME
 
Tuesday marks the second meeting between the Islanders and UTRGV in the young season. In just the second match of the year, the Islanders topped the Vaqueros 3-2 at the Baylor Invitational.
 
The Blue and Green opened the match on a tear, nabbing the first two sets 25-20 and 25-19 before reaching match point at 24-21 in the third. UTRGV came back with a vengeance and stole the next two sets to force the decisive fifth. A strong start ensured the victory as the Islanders closed the match 15-12 in the fifth.
 
WHAT TO WATCH
 
• The Islanders have won 18-consecutive matches in the Dugan Wellness Center.
• Outside hitter Brittany Gilpin has notched double-digit kills in four consecutive matches.
• The Islanders have won 16 consecutive matches over the Vaqueros dating to 2007.
 
VAQUEROS OF NOTE
 
• Ragni Steen Knudsen and Bojana Mitrovic lead UTRGV with 81 and 77 kills, respectively. Mitrovic produced 21 kills in the match at the Baylor Invitational.
• As a team, the Vaqueros are holding opponents to a .165 hitting percentage. The Islanders' .231 clip was the second-highest mark allowed by UTRGV this season.
• The Vaqueros are averaging 2.33 blocks per set. Mitrovic and Alexandra Ecker lead with 1.26 and 1.25 blocks per set.
 
ISLANDERS CLASSIC
 
Following Tuesday's match with UTRGV, the Islanders will host UNLV and UT Arlington for the Islanders Classic this weekend.