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.
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.
ISLANDERS INSIGHT
• 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.
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.
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.
TEXAS STATE TUESDAY
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.
