CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Fresh off back-to-back sweeps of Houston Baptist and Stephen F. Austin, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi volleyball returns home to host UIW Saturday afternoon in Senior Day festivities.
The Islanders will honor seniors
Brittany Gilpin,
Kristyn Nicholson and
Madeleine Doud as part of Saturday's match against the Cardinals. The trio have been integral to the ascent of Islanders volleyball into the upper echelon of mid-major programs, claiming back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament.
Those two trips are the first in program history and Gilpin, Nicholson and Doud were all a major piece in the puzzle.
One of the best hitters to ever play on the Island, Gilpin has dotted her name throughout the Corpus Christi record book. In 2016, Gilpin became the first Islander to ever earn Southland Conference Player of the Year honors. In addition, she was named the Southland Conference Student-Athlete of the Year for volleyball.
Nicholson, meanwhile, has garnered back-to-back Southland Conference Setter of the Year honors. With 4,418 assists to her credit, Nicholson is just the second Islander to ever eclipse the 4,000-assist plateau. This season, the setter has also racked up a career-high 148 kills to balance the offense.
Doud will leave the Island as one of the best blockers in program history. She ranks in the top five all-time in blocks per set and her 282 total blocks are tied for the second most in program history. A career .281 hitter, Doud would set the program record for career hitting percentage if the season ended today.
FREE T-SHIRTS
Saturday's match against UIW will feature 150 free Islanders volleyball emoji t-shirts. Doors will open an noon for the 1 p.m. game and fans are encouraged to arrive early to get a t-shirt.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Islanders close the regular season at home next weekend against Sam Houston State and Abilene Christian. Corpus Christi will then host the 2017 Southland Conference Volleyball Championships the following weekend.
