CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi shook off a sluggish second set to dominate Nicholls in the third and fourth en route to a 25-21, 19-25, 25-17, 25-13 victory on Thursday night.
Freshman
Chloe Simon came off the bench to lead the Islanders (7-8, 4-0) with 12 kills on 19 swings. Simon hit .421 to co-lead the attack among players with over 10 attempts.
Setter
Kristyn Nicholson added 11 kills on 19 swings to also hit .421 for the Blue and Green. Nicholson narrowly missed a triple-double, adding 27 assists and nine digs. She also produced five aces at the service line in the fourth set.
With the victory, the Islanders extend their Southland winning streak to 42-consecutive matches.
BALANCED ATTACK
Four Islanders had eight or more kills on the night as
Brittany Gilpin and
Madison Green each had eight apiece. Both Gilpin and Green committed just a single error to hit .389 and 3.68, respectively.
Collectively the Islanders hit .294 as a team with 53 kills to Nicholls' 39. Outside of the second set, the Blue and Green hit over .300 in each frame. The fourth set marked the most effiecent attach of the evening as the Islanders hit a hot .417 to close the match.
NICHOLSON KNICKS NICHOLLS
The decisive fourth set featured the most impressive service run to date for Corpus Christi. Nicholson stepped to the line with the set tied at 6-6 and proceeded to reel off eight consecutive points for the Islanders.
Even more impressive, the setter strung together four-consecutive aces to spark the run. By the end of the move, Nicholson had racked up five aces in the eight points.
DEFENSE DOUBLES DOWN
The Islanders produced one of their best matches of the season, holding Nicholls to just .147 hitting on the night. That marks the lowest opponent hitting percentage of the season for the Islanders.
The third and fourth set saw the Islanders dominate the Colonels attack, holding Nicholls to .028 and .042 hitting.
Libero
Madison Woods dug up a match-high 21 attacks. The 21 digs mark the fifth time in six games Woods has gone over the 20-mark.
The Islander block also showed up in the late sets, with
Jessi Herbold and
Mackenzie Coates combining for back-to-back rejections in the fourth.
Madeleine Doud led the Islanders with four blocks in the victory while
Madison Green also added a pair.
SATURDAY SHOWDOWN
The Islanders return to the Dugan Wellness Center to face McNeese on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. The first 150 fans in attendance will receive a free Islanders volleyball t-shirt.
