Streaking ULM and TCU Take Down Islanders

MONROE, La. – Facing a red-hot Louisiana-Monroe squad and a TCU club which has been nationally ranked for much of the season, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi beach volleyball dropped a pair of matches to open the ULM Bayou Beach Bash on Friday.
 
"We're improving at the physical part of the game," said head coach Steve Greene. "We need to continue to work at some of the mental things, but we're improving with each match. Beach is an extremely different game from indoor and our roster is comprised primarily of indoor first players.
 
"Each match we continue to improve and grow our game," continued Greene. We're playing point for point with teams that have fully funded and developed programs while we're still growing in our second season. I'm proud of the fight the girls are showing and the progress we are making."
 
In the morning match, the Islanders ran in a ULM team riding a six-match winning streak. The Islanders battled back and forth with the Warhawks across the board, holding leads in every match, but ultimately fell 4-1.
 
Madison Woods and Mackenzie Coates earned the Islanders' point with a victory on court three. Woods and Coates won in straight set fashion against their Warhawk opponents of Claire Crossfield and Tara Jenkins. The Islanders duo won a tight first set in extras at 24-22 before earing a 21-16 victory in the second set to claim the win.
 
At the top of the lineup, Madison Green and Madi Fizsimmons stood toe-to-toe with ULM's top pairing, but fell in hard fought three-set tilt. Green and Fitzsimmons dropped a nail-biting 21-18 first before winning their own thriller in a 22-20 second. The third set went to ULM in 20-15 fashion.
 
ULM claimed the other three matches in straight sets. Morgan Williams and Mallory Moran fell 21-10 at number two before a back and forth second set finished at 21-17 in favor of ULM. At the five spot Dominique Cuellar and Mary Katarzynski fell 21-12, 21-10 while Claire Karsten and Kelsee Felux dropped a 21-14, 21-10 match at four.
 
MATCH TWO
 
Playing a TCU squad receiving votes in the national polls, the Islanders fell on each of the five courts, including a pair of tight battles at the top of the lineup.
 
Green and Fitzsimmons played number one and bounced back from a tough 21-10 opening set to battle neck and neck in the second. The Horned Frog duo of Jaelyn Greene and Amy Neal held the Islanders off for a 21-17 victory.
 
At two, Morgan Carlson and Mallory Moran paired up for the closest battle of the afternoon. The duo fell 21-15 in the first and then went 21-17 in the second as TCU once again held off the Blue and Green.
 
Woods and Coates played together once again in the afternoon, but could not replicate the morning success. After a 21-8 opening set, the Islanders rallied back and dropped a hard-fought second in extras at 22-20.
 
In the fourth and fifth spot, TCU wrapped up the sweep with a pair of straight set victories.
 
SATURDAY SLATE
 
The Islanders wrap the ULM Bayou Beach Bash with a 2 p.m. match against Central Arkansas Saturday afternoon.