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HOUSTON – It came down to the final court as the top-seeded Texas A&M-Corpus Christi beach volleyball program defeated second-seeded HBU in a 3-2 thriller in the Southland Conference Championship on Sunday at Third Coast Volleyball Club.
The deciding match was on court three where graduate
Kiley Lewis and senior
Migle Mazurkeviciute dropped the first set 21-19. After winning the second 21-13, all eyes were on their court for the final frame. The Islanders (21-12) clutched out a 15-8 third to win their first title on program history.
"I'm extremely proud of the team for pushing through and winning the SLC title this season. It was a battle against HBU today that I will not forget. It feels amazing to win the title for the first time and represent the Southland Conference at the NCAA Tournament," said head coach
Gayle Stammer.
Lewis and Mazurkeviciute went 3-0 in the tournament.
A&M-Corpus Christi's first point of the match came on court four where junior
Shea Slusser and freshman
Kela Moreno notched a straight-set victory 21-11, 23-21.
On court one the Islanders registered a 21-16, 21-12 win from junior
Giuliana Poletti Corrales and
Brooke Pertuit. After the tournament, the duo was named the SLC Pair of the Tournament. The two finished No. 12 in the nation in the final regular season PABLO Rankings.
A&M-Corpus Christi was a perfect 11-0 against SLC opponents this season and 4-0 against HBU.
The Islanders earned the league's automatic bid to the 2022 NCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament on May 6-8 in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The bracket will be announced Saturday, April 30.
A&M-Corpus Christi 3, HBU 2
1.
Brooke Pertuit/
Giuliana Poletti Corrales (AMCC) def. Maddie Butters/Lauren Huggins (HBU), 21-16, 21-12
2. Alison Stanfill/Abbey Reinard (HBU) def.
Jade Bennett/
Tori Johnson (AMCC), 21-16, 21-16
3.
Kiley Lewis/
Migle Mazurkeviciute (AMCC) vs. Kristen Kleymeyer/Danielle Okeke (HBU), 19-21, 21-13, 15-8
4.
Shea Slusser/
Kela Moreno (AMCC) def. Brennan Miller/Mary Alper (HBU), 21-11, 23-21
5. Shelby O'Neal/Gabi Axelrod (HBU) def.
Elizabeth Cortez/
Micaela Mirabal (AMCC), 21-17, 21-15
Order of finish: 5, 4, 1, 2, 3
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