NEW ORLEANS – All alone in first-place, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's volleyball program made quick work of New Orleans in a 3-0 (25-23, 25-13, 25-18) sweep Saturday at the Human Performance Center.
Coming off a triple-double Thursday at Nicholls, junior
Faith Panhans followed it up with a double-double of 34 assists and a team-high 12 kills for the Islanders (9-7, 5-0 SLC) against the Privateers (1-12, 1-4 SLC). Panhans, the reigning SLC Offensive Player of the Week, hit for a match-high .455 clip.
"Faith had two amazing matches this week. She led us in kills today and for a setter to do that is a testament to our high level of ball control," said head coach
Steve Greene.
Aiding the attack was senior
Montez Uigaese and freshman
Kyndal Payne. Uigaese tallied 10 kills and a .450 hitting percentage, while Payne ended with nine kills, six digs and a .438 mark. It was the sixth double-digit performance of the season for Uigaese and the fourth in a row.
In back, junior
Carissa Barnes dug up a match-high 16 attacks. The reigning SLC Defensive Player of the Week winner entered the night leading the nation in digs per set and now carries a 6.64 average. Freshman
Kayla White also stood her ground with nine digs on the day.
"Kayla and Carissa both had an amazing match in serve receive and anchoring our defense. Their hard work is every day in practice really paid off today," Greene said.
Rounding out the stat sheet was senior
Rachel Young with eight kills and a .316 hitting percentage.
The only close set came in the first when the Islanders found themselves down 20-18. A kill by Young turned it around though and sparked a 5-0 run to put A&M-Corpus Christi ahead 23-20. The Islanders put it away 25-23 on a big spike by Payne on the left side.
"I'm really proud of the team and their resilience. New Orleans played us really tough to start the match and we had to really work hard to get back into our rhythm," Greene said.
A&M-Corpus Christi led 7-5 in the second when it went on a 12-4 spurt to catapult in front 19-9 after a kill by freshman
Leah Stolfus. The lead was never in doubt as kills by freshman
Morgan Baese and Young ended it 25-13.
The Islanders jumped out ahead again early in the third and never looked back. A kill by Payne gave them a 12-6 edge, and an attack by Panhans extended it to 19-11. Senior
Kylie Filipiak got in on the action with a kill late in the set, and the match ended on an error by the Privateers.
A&M-Corpus Christi improved to 9-1 all-time against the Privateers, which includes nine consecutive victories.
The Islanders have won 10 consecutive SLC matches dating back to last season.
Up next, A&M-Corpus Christi returns home for a 6:30 p.m. match Thursday against McNeese on Radiology Associates Pack It Pink Night in the Dugan Wellness Center. The match will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
Stay Social
For more information on Islanders Volleyball, follow the team on Twitter (
@IslandersVB), Instagram (
@islandersvb) and like their Facebook page (
Islanders Volleyball).
#ShakasUp
