CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – After seeing a tight 1-1 match tie after two sets, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi strung together two-straight set wins to pull away for a 3-1 decision over No. 5-seeded Houston Baptist and clinch a spot in the Southland Conference Volleyball Tournament semifinals Thursday at Dugan Wellness Center.
Chloe Simon paced the high-powered Islander offense, as the senior tallied her 11
th double-figure kill effort with 15 while nearly reaching the double-double plateau with nine digs. Fellow senior
Hannah Froeschl accompanied Simon in the double-digit kill column with 10 and coming up with three blocks.
HBU claimed the first three points on its way to 6-3 lead out the gate, but the Islanders took control courtesy of two big runs with the latter 6-0 surge capped by a
Faith Panhans kill handing the home club a strong 16-11 cushion. A kill from Jada Allen and Islander miscue brought HBU back within two on a couple occasions down the stretch, but four-straight Islander points ended the threat and put the home squad ahead 1-0.
Once again claiming the lead in the early stages, the Huskies managed to hold the advantage throughout for a 25-21 second-set win and keep the high-flying Islanders to a 0.194 attack percentage – it's lowest of the match.
The Islanders returned to its offensive ways in the third, busting the set open on a 4-0 run that featured kills via Froeschl and Young to earn a hefty 11-5 advantage. HBU hung around, tying it twice on kills from Anna Gadway and Allen in the late stages but the threat was quickly extinguished on a Simon kill and visitor error for the 25-23 set win and match lead.
Another see-saw set awaited the Islanders and Huskies in the final stanza, with six ties dotting the first 16 points before a 6-0 outburst ended in a 11-8 home club lead. The score was leveled four more times before a pivotal 8-2 stretch that ended on kills from attackers Young and Simon sent the Islanders onto the semifinals for the sixth time in program history.
A&M-Corpus Christi advanced to the semifinal round and faces No. 1-seeded Stephen F. Austin Friday, April 2 at 2:30 p.m. inside Dugan Wellness Center.
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