CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The 2016 Islanders Classic presented by Emerald Beach Hotel opens Friday as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi volleyball welcomes UNLV and UT Arlington for the two-day event.
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The Blue and Green will face UNLV Friday at 1 p.m. and UT Arlington Saturday at 3 p.m. and are looking to extend their home winning streak following a 3-1 victory over UTRGV Tuesday night.
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ISLANDERS INSIGHT
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• Friday's meeting with UNLV will be the first all-time bout between the programs.
• The Islanders aim to continue a three-match winning streak over UT Arlington when the two meet Saturday afternoon.
• Junior
Brittany Gilpin turned in her third double-double of the season with 16 kills and 13 digs against UTRGV.
• Middle
Madeleine Doud hammered home a season-high 10 kills in Tuesday's win. She also put forth a season-best seven blocks against the Vaqueros.
• The Islanders held the Vaqueros to a .146 hitting percentage for the match, marking the third time they've held a team below .200.
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SCOUTING UNLV
• UNLV enters the weekend 6-0 on the season and has dropped just two sets all year.
• Bree Hammel leads the Rebels with 88 kills on the season. Hammel averages 4.40 kills per set, ranking 30th in the nation this season.
• Defensively, the Rebels split the load with four players having 48 or more digs.
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SCOUTING UT ARLINGTON
• The Mavericks are 3-5 on the season, dropping five of their last six matches. In their last two matches, the Mavericks have split with a pair of Southland foes, defeating McNeese 3-1 and falling in five sets to Abilene Christian.
• Qiana Canete leads UT Arlington with 96 kills on the season. Canete also has 122 digs to rank second on the team.
• Kaitlyn Granger adds 90 kills for the Mavericks with Zhanelle Geathers just behind with 87.
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TEXAS STATE TUESDAY
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Following the Islanders Classic this weekend, the Blue and Green hosts Texas State Tuesday night at 6:30 in the final match of a four-game homestand.
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