NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi volleyball claimed a 3-1 victory over Northern Arizona to mark its first win of the season and kick off play at the SFA tournament Friday afternoon inside Shelton Gymnasium.
Kyndal Payne torched 15 kills while the trio of
Rachel Young,
Julia Carter and
Kylie Filipiak delivered nine apiece.
Carissa Barnes added 35 digs while
Faith Panhans collected 32 assists.
NAU burst to a 4-1 lead before A&M-Corpus Christi rattled off five straight to overtake a 6-4 edge in what proved to be a tight first set that saw a match-high eight ties and five lead changes. A 6-1 Islander stretch aided by four big kills from Carter helped in closing out the set.
A five-point Islander run helped build a sizable advantage early in the second, one that quickly doubled to a 21-11 margin at the midway point. NAU tried to put together a rally in the late stages, but Young delivered the deciding kill to slam the door on a comeback and claim the 2-0 match lead.
NAU got on the board in the third, breaking a 3-3 tie and going on a subsequent 8-3 run of their own to command an 11-6 edge that the Islanders never seriously threatened. A Panhans kill brought A&M-Corpus Christi within four, but would get no closer the rest of the way as NAU rolled to a 25-18 set decision.
The Islanders battled NAU in a see-saw battle to start the set before a pair of errors and a kill from Payne highlighted a three-point streak that handed A&M-Corpus Christi a 10-6 advantage.
A&M-Corpus Christi stretched the cushion to as many as eight as another Young kill ended the Islanders' search for its first win of the season.
A&M-Corpus Christi faces host tournament and former Southland rival Stephen F. Austin tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.
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