CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's volleyball team opened its spring schedule in the win column, as the Islanders claimed the first rendition of the South Texas Showdown with a 3-0 sweep against UTRGV Friday evening at the Dugan Wellness Center.
Rachel Young led all attackers with 11 kills, while
Carissa Barnes tallied 19 digs and
Montez Uigaese registered a career-high four blocks to highlight a strong Islander defensive effort.
A UTRGV attack error handed A&M-Corpus Christi the opening point and its first edge in a tightly-contested set that featured eight ties and three lead switches. After a see-saw battle that saw neither squad lead by more than four points, a
Chloe Simon kill broke a 12-12 deadlock and sparked a 6-0 outburst that ended with another Simon kill to bookend the streak. Both teams traded blows down the stretch, but a critical kill from Young closed out the set in the Islanders' favor.
After a UTRGV point to start the second stanza, A&M-Corpus Christi rattled off five-straight points to gain the 5-1 advantage and never look back. A 7-1 Islander run later in the period that included multiple kills from
Kylie Filipiak and
Hannah Froeschl effectively doubled the home squad's advantage and boosted them to a lopsided 25-15 second-set win.
Both teams swapped points in the final act but back-to-back kills from Uigaese ignited another Islander spurt that saw them claim six of the next eight points. The Islanders locked up the season-opening win after taking the final three points that culminated in a
Sam Dumity kill to ice the match.
The Islanders return to the court tomorrow (Saturday, Jan. 23) for an afternoon matinee against in-state rival UTSA at 1 p.m. inside the Dugan Wellness Center.
Notes
- Friday's win broke a two-year, season-opening slide for the Islanders that dated back to 2017.
- Rachel Young led all attackers with 11 kills, while Carissa Barnes tallied 19 digs and Montez Uigaese registered a career-high four blocks to highlight a strong Islander defensive effort.
- The Islanders' standout defensive shutdown held UTRGV to a .118 attack percentage compared to .325 for the home squad.
Stay Social
For more information on Islanders Volleyball, follow the team on Twitter (
@IslandersVB), Instagram (
@islandersvb) and like their Facebook page (
Islanders Volleyball).
#ShakasUp
