Islanders Battle, Fall in Tight Matches

BATON ROUGE, La. – On the first day of the Battle on the Bayou, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi fell in a pair of tough matches Friday at the LSU-hosted tournament.
 
In the opening match of the Battle on the Bayou for the Islanders, the Blue and Green met Louisiana-Monroe for the third time this season. The match once again featured close battles throughout the lineup, but the Warhawks were able to fend off the Islanders on all five courts for the sweep.
 
Veterans Brittany Gilpin and Morgan Carlson led the Islander effort, playing at the second spot in the order. The pairing dropped a 21-14 set to begin play before rallying for a 21-18 second to force the decisive third. In the extra set, Gilpin and Carlson went neck-and-neck with the ULM pairing of Claire Crossfield and Kori Simpson, but fell in a narrow 15-12 finale.
 
In the fifth, spot, Haley Sobosle and Morgan Williams paired together and provided another tough battle. The two Islanders fell by the smallest of margins in a 21-19 first set. In the second, ULM was able to build a bit of a cushion and put the match away at 21-13.
 
Claire Karsten and Kelsee Felux once again paired up in the fourth spot of the order. The two were eventually upended by Becca Brown and Cathering Griffith in identical 21-15 sets.
 
At the top of the order, Madison Fitzsimmons and Madison Green teamed together for the Islanders. Facing the potent top pairing from the Warhawks, Fitzsimmons and Greeen fell 21-12 and 21-16. ULM wrapped up the sweep with a 21-9, 21-15 win at the third spot in the lineup.
 
In an exhibition match, Molly Chambers and Chloe Thorpe went three sets, but fell 21-15, 18-21, 15-2.
 
Friday night, the Islanders dropped a 4-1 nightcap in a very close battle with Texas A&M-Kingsville.
 
Fitzsimmons and Green highlighted the effort with a two-set victory at the top spot. The Islanders duo rolled out to a set lead with a strong 21-13 opener. The two followed with a 21-18 second set to clinch their match.
 
Elsewhere, the Islanders were just points away from flipping the match against the Javelinas. At the fifth spot in the lineup, Sobosle and Williams snagged a 21-14 win in the first set but were forced into a decisive third set. That third set went extras, as the Islanders eventually fell 17-15.
 
At three, Mackenzie Coates and Mallory Moran lost a pair of sets by just two points. The Islanders dropped the first set in extras with a 22-20 final before falling 21-19 in the second.
 
Kingsville rounded out the win with 21-14, 21-13 win at two and a 21-16, 21-14 win at four. In an exhibition match, Islanders Madeleine Doud and Molly Chambers won in straight sets by a pair of 21-15 scores.
 
SATURDAY WRAP
 
The Islanders finish off the Battle on the Bayou by facing No. 7 LSU on Saturday morning. First serve is set for 11 a.m.