LAKE CHARLES, La. - A grueling five-setter ended in favor of the home team, as the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi volleyball team was edged out 3-2 by McNeese Thursday night at Legacy Center.
The Islanders (4-16, 4-2) dropped their first away conference competition of the season to McNeese (8-12, 4-2) as the Cowgirls were able to pull off the 25-18, 22-25, 25-16, 18-25, and 15-11 match victory.
Despite the loss, A&M-Corpus Christi led the match with 61 kills compared the McNeese's 54. Sophomore
Kyndal Payne kept her streak of leading the match in kills against Southland opponents, turning in 17 while sophomore
Leah Stolfus and junior
Ella Litterell recorded 13 and 11, respectively.
The Islanders also turned in 75 match digs compared to the 68 by the Cowgirls, with senior
Carissa Barnes picking up 21 to make her the match leader. Payne followed her with 15 digs, making this her seventh double-double of the season and third in a row. Freshman
Zoria Heard tallied 12 digs while sophomore
Kayla White garnered 10.
Set one was a back-and-forth affair through the 13-13 mark after senior
Faith Panhans got a kill for the sixth tied score. A kill by Payne put the Islanders within one at 15-14, but a 5-0 scoring run pulled the Cowgirls ahead. A kill by graduate student
Aurora Carnes and a service ace by Barnes pushed the score to 23-18 before McNeese was able to close out the 25-18 win to go up 1-0.
A 5-0 scoring run was featured in the second set as well, but instead pulled the Islanders ahead for an early 6-3 lead after Litterell, Payne, Carnes and Stolfus took turns getting a kill. While the Cowgirls contested the score within one point on four separate occasions, A&M-Corpus Christi did not relent its lead as the team hit for a .421 mark to take set two 25-22 and even the match 1-1.
A kill by freshman
Tayah Little opened the third set to encourage a quick 3-0 lead for the Islanders. Despite the early jump, two different 5-point spurts reversed and expanded the lead for the Cowgirls as the set ended 25-16 their way for the 2-1 advantage.
The fourth set featured the teams exchanging points the majority of the way, with McNeese up late at 17-16. Barnes earned a service ace to take back a 18-17 lead and although the Cowgirls managed another kill, the Islanders went on a 6-0 scoring run all the way to the end for a 25-18 win after a block by Little and Panhans secured the final point to force a fifth.
In the deciding set, Stolfus opened it up with a pair of kills to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead. A kill by Litterell helped to extend the lead to 4-2 before the Cowgirls responded with a 6-point spurt for a lead they kept the rest of the way. Another pair of kills by Stolfus gave A&M-Corpus Christi its last two points, but it wasn't enough as McNeese pulled away for the 15-11 set and match win.
The teams will rematch in Corpus Christi on November 3. The Islanders continue to lead the all-time record now 16-6 over McNeese.
A&M-Corpus Christi will return home for its next three conference matchups, first welcoming UIW (3-13, 2-4) to the Dugan Wellness Center on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Cardinals will visit the Islanders after handing HCU (13-6, 5-1) its first conference loss on Thursday. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
Stay Social
For more information on Islanders Volleyball, follow the team on Twitter (
@IslandersVB), Instagram (
@islandersvb) and like their Facebook page (
Islanders Volleyball).
#ShakasUp
