Green Grounds Cardinals

SAN ANTONIO – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi shook off a sluggish start in the first set to rally for a sweep of UIW behind a career-best 11 kills from sophomore Madison Green Tuesday evening in the McDermott Center.
 
Green led a balanced Islander attack as four Islanders recorded five or more kills in the victory. For the sophomore, the 11 kills came on 27 swings with just a single error as she hit .370. The strong hitting percentage also led the Islanders (6-8, 3-0) in the sweep.
 
Along with Green, Brittany Gilpin floored eight kills in the win while Madeleine Doud added another seven.
 
After a quick UIW start to the opening set, the Blue and Green found itself trailing 11-6 and later 15-10 in the frame. A kill from Doud sparked a 6-0 run for the Islanders, which featured a pair of aces from Emily Hubacek.
 
UIW rebuilt a 23-20 advantage before the Islanders used a 5-0 run to end the set at 25-23. Green capped the set-ending run with an ace of her own as the Islanders fired five from the service line in the set.
 
ACE IN THE HOLE
 
The Islanders' hot-hand at the service line continued Tuesday as the Blue and Green tallied eight aces on the evening. The aces provided the difference as it helped Corpus Christi overcome a 42-41 deficit in kills.
 
>> Hubacek provided four aces to match her career-high.
>> Madison Woods added a pair of markers from the line.
>> Camryn Tucker and Green each had an ace as well.
 
DEFENSE WINS AGAIN
 
Despite being out-killed on the evening, the Islanders out-hit UIW .202 to .191 on the evening. Corpus Christi produced 65 digs, 23 of which came from the libero Woods.
 
The 23 digs match a career-high for Woods and marks the fourth time in the last five matches she has denied 20 or more attacks. Gilpin and Tucker also added double-digit digs with 11 and 10, respectively.
 
The defensive effort improved every set as the Islanders adjusted against the Cardinal attack. After UIW hit .263 in the opening set, the Islanders lowered that to a .250 clip in the second. The decisive third set saw the Blue and Green's best performance of the night as they stifled UIW to just .067 hitting.
 
HEADED HOME
 
The Islanders will return to Corpus Christi for the Southland home opener on Thursday as they host Nicholls at 6:30 p.m. in the Dugan Wellness Center. The Blue and Green will celebrate the 2016 Southland Conference Championship and fans will have the opportunity to take photos with the trophy.
 
Tickets can be purchased by calling 825-BALL and all Texas A&M-Corpus Christi students receive free admission with a valid SandDollar$ ID.