Top-Seeded A&M-Corpus Christi Advances to Finals with Sweep of UIW

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HOUSTON – Moving on to the championship match, the top-seeded Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's volleyball program dismissed fifth-seeded UIW 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-16) on Saturday at Sharp Gym, hosted by HBU.
 
The Islanders (18-9, 14-1 SLC), who are looking to defending their SLC Tournament title, swept the Cardinals (13-19, 6-8 SLC) for the third time this season. They'll take on third-seeded McNeese, which upset the host and second-seeded HBU in the other semifinal match 3-1.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi had to come from behind in the first two sets before cruising to victory in the third.
 
"This was definitely a full team effort today. I am so proud of how the team handled the nerves and stress of the semifinals in the conference tournament," said head coach Steve Greene, who is one win away from reaching 100 in his career.

Junior Carissa Barnes, the two-time reigning SLC Libero of the Year winner who entered the match leading the nation in digs per set with 6.52 per frame, recorded a whopping 30 digs in three sets. It was nearly half of the team's 61 digs in the match. Freshman Kayla White and senior Angel Felan dug up nine and seven balls, respectively.
 
Barnes and Felan also fired two aces apiece, while not giving up a single service ace to the Cardinals.

"Carissa, Kayla, and Angel played outstanding defense all match long and combined with their tough serving really propelled us to victory," Greene said.
 
Offensively, senior Rachel Young and freshman Kyndal Payne were both in double-figures. Young, an All-Conference First-Team honoree, registered 11 kills and a .450 hitting percentage, while Payne, an All-Conference Second-Team selection, tallied 10 kills.
 
SLC Player and Setter of the Year Faith Panhans dished out 33 assists to go along with five kills and four digs.
 
"Faith flipped a switch and showed how amazing she can play and take control of a match during sets two and three," Greene said. "We are all really excited to play in the championship match tomorrow!"

A&M-Corpus Christi started slow and fell behind 10-4 in the first set. A kill by Young got the team going, and a dump by Panhans cut it to 11-9. The Islanders tied it 13-13 on a block assist by senior Montez Uigaese and freshman Leah Stolfus, and went up 16-15 on a kill by senior Julia Carter.
 
The Islanders extended the lead to 21-16 after a UIW error and finished off the frame 25-21 on a kill by Payne.
 
The second was tight midway through with the score tied 17-17 when the Cardinals won three straight to go up 20-17. After a timeout, the Islanders went on a 4-1 spurt and tied it 21-21 on a kill by Young. Still even at 22-22, A&M-Corpus Christi won the final three points on Young's serve, which included a kill by Payne.
 
The Islanders led 11-10 in the third when they used a 5-0 run to pull away after an ace by Barnes. A kill by Panhans increased the advantage to 20-12, and the match ended on an error by UIW.

The Islanders improved to 13-6 all-time in the conference tournament and have never lost an SLC Tournament match to any school still in the conference. A&M-Corpus Christi is now 7-0 all-time as the No. 1 seed.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi will square off with McNeese at 2 p.m. Sunday in the championship on ESPN+. The Islanders won both meetings this year 3-1 at home and 3-0 on the road.
 
The Islanders are playing for their seventh championship and fourth SLC Tournament crown in program history. They are also looking to earn the automatic bid and make their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance.

ISLANDERS COMPLETE THE SWEEP AND ARE HEADED BACK TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP TO DEFEND THEIR TITLE!!#ShakasUp | #SouthlandStrong pic.twitter.com/L2bWbIDLTi

— Southland Conference (@SouthlandSports) November 20, 2021

 
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