Beach Volleyball Set to Host 2021 Conni & Jay Wise Islander Classic

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Playing downtown at Water's Edge Park, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi beach volleyball program will host the 2021 Conni & Jay Wise Islander Classic on Friday and Saturday.
 
Matches start at 8 a.m. each day. A&M-Corpus Christi is scheduled to play 10 a.m. Friday against Stephen F. Austin, 4:30 p.m. Friday against Utah, 10 a.m. Saturday against Houston Baptist and 4:30 p.m. Saturday against Texas A&M-Kingsville.
 
Saturday will be Senior Day for the Islanders. After the 4:30 p.m. match, A&M-Corpus Christi will honor Mary Dodge, Jenna Jones, Kylie Kvam, Demi McInnis, Emily Ramirez, Hannah Smyers and Kayla Walker with a special ceremony.
 
Admission to all matches is free. The tournament will have a live DJ on both days. There will also be a food truck from R&B Funnel Cakes.
 
"We're really excited to be playing downtown next to the water and engaging with the community, especially during a busy holiday weekend. We hope people will come out and support us, it's really an exciting sport to be a part of," said head coach Gayle Stammer. "We'd like to give a big thank you to Fulton Construction for setting up and supplying the courts and the nets. We'd also like to thank Conni & Jay Wise for their continuous support of our program."
 
It will be the first and only home matches of the year for the Islanders (6-9), who have faced stiff competition all season. More than half of the team's losses are against Top-20 opponents.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi has quality wins this season over UL-Monroe (2x), Houston Baptist, Boise State, Stephen F. Austin and Southern Miss.
 
The freshmen team of Giuliana Poletti Corrales and Brooke Pertuit have been relied upon at the No. 1 spot and have three wins together on the year. At the No. 2 position, Kvam and senior Micaela Mirabal notched a three-set come-from-behind victory over Southern Miss in the team's last weekend in Baton Rouge.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi's strength thus far has been its depth. The team of senior Taylor Horsfall and Ramirez is 3-2 at No. 4. At No. 5, freshman Tori Johnson and sophomore Migle Mazurkeviciute are 3-1 together, while Aurora Carnes and McInnis are 3-2.
 
Another possible combination to watch for is Dodge and Mazurkeviciute who are coming off back-to-back wins at No. 4 including a three-set victory over No. 16 South Carolina.
 
It will be just the third home tournament in school history since the program started in 2016. The Islanders did not have a home tournament in 2020 due to COVID-19.
 
Match Schedule
Friday, April 2
8:00 a.m. TAMUK vs. Utah
10:00 a.m. Islanders vs. SFA
12:00 p.m. HBU vs. SFA
2:30 p.m. HBU vs. TAMUK
4:30 p.m. Islanders vs. Utah
 
Saturday, April 3
8:00 a.m. Utah vs. SFA
10:00 a.m. Islanders vs. HBU
12:00 p.m. SFA vs. TAMUK
2:30 p.m. Utah vs. HBU
4:30 p.m. Islanders vs. TAMUK (Senior Day Match)
 
Stay Social
For more information on Islanders Volleyball, follow the team on Twitter (@IslandersBVB), Instagram (@islandersbvb) and like their Facebook page (Islanders Beach Volleyball).
 
#ShakasUp