CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Honoring its three seniors on Saturday afternoon, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi stayed red-hot as the Islanders cruised to a 25-17, 25-22, 25-17 sweep of UIW in the Dugan Wellness Center.
One of those seniors,
Brittany Gilpin, led the Islanders (12-13, 9-5) with 13 kills in the victory as the Blue and Green officially clinched a spot in the Southland Conference Tournament. Gilpin hit .310 on the day as her 13 kills pulled her within four of tying Ivy Baresh for second all-time in program history.
Chloe Simon joined Gilpin in double figures with 10 kills. Simon needed just 15 swings as the freshman hit .600 to lead all players in the match. Saturday marks the third consecutive match with 10 kills for Simon.
DEFENSIVE RESURGENCE
The Islanders held UIW to .194 hitting Saturday afternoon, marking the third consecutive match Corpus Christi has held its opponents below the .200 mark.
Corpus Christi's front line produced six blocks on the day, including solo stuffs from Gilpin, Simon and Madison Fitzsimmons. On the back row,
Madison Woods dug up 11 UIW attacks while Gilpin completed her double-double with 10. In addition, both Simon and
Kristyn Nicholson chipped in eight digs apiece.
SENIOR SPARK
The three seniors each had big days in the victory over the Cardinals. Gilpin's 13 kills and 10 digs produced her 10th double-double of the season, while Doud hit .538 with eight kills and Nicholson dished out 36 assists.
Nicholson also sparked the Islanders to a huge first-set run, taking the Blue and Green down 15-16 to a 25-17 victory. The senior setter served the Islanders on a 7-0 run, including the first of her three aces on the day.
THIRD SET DOMINANCE
Out of the break, the Islanders played their best volleyball of the day to ice the sweep. A 7-1 run broke a 4-4 deadlock early, keyed by a pair of kills from Nicholson and three from Doud.
Gilpin knocked down five of her 13 kills in the match during the final set, hitting .500 in the process. Doud would finish the frame with four and hit .667. The Islanders hit .364 in the set with 16 kills as a team, while holding UIW to just .143 in attack.
WHAT IT MEANS
The win secures the Islanders a place in the Southland Conference Tournament with two games left to play in the regular season. Corpus Christi sits in a tie for fourth and is just a game behind Sam Houston State in third, a team the Islanders host on Thursday.
Corpus Christi will host the 2017 Southland Conference Tournament on November 17-19 at the Dugan Wellness Center.
