CORPUS Christi, Texas – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi volleyball opened the Islanders Classic with a 3-2 nail biting win over the Texas State Bobcats in front of an electric crowd Thursday night inside the Dugan Wellness Center.
Kyndal Payne continued to pace the Islanders attack with 15 kills, while teammates
Julia Carter and
Rachel Young chipped in 13 and 12, respectively.
Faith Panhans proved impressive with nine kills and 40 assists while
Carissa Barnes led the defense with 35 digs.
After Texas State won two-straight sets to send it to a deciding fifth, both teams fought for the advantage before the Islanders turned the tide with a four-point stretch capped by a
Julia Carter kill to inch ahead 8-6. The match went on to see four ties in the latter half until the Islanders seized another slim boost as a Bobcat service error put it away for the home club.
The Islanders commanded the game early on, jumping to a 7-1 lead that would balloon to a 15-7 cushion by the midway point. Texas State rallied for a six-point outburst to cut the deficit to two, but behind a trio of
Kyndal Payne kills and Bobcat miscues the Islanders won the first in a 25-21 decision.
It was all Islanders in the second, as the home club held the Bobcats to a meager seven points and -0.214 hitting percentage in a runaway set win. Once again, the Islanders began with a big advantage, building an 11-1 lead. The Islanders kept their foot on the gas, as another seven-point stretch and a 0.722 attack percentage lifted them to the 25-7 thumping.
Texas State rebounded in back-to-back sets, taking 25-20 and 25-15 decisions to deadlock the match and force a winner-take-all fifth.
The Islanders continue tournament action against UTEP with a Friday night inside Dugan Wellness Center at 6 p.m.
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