LINCOLN, Nebraska – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi volleyball team will face the nation's top team in its season opener on Friday at the Ameritas Player Challenge, hosted by Nebraska.
The two-day tournament is slated for Friday and Saturday and features four programs. The Islanders will first take on No. 1 Nebraska Friday at 11 a.m. before facing Pepperdine later that day at 4 p.m. On Saturday, A&M-Corpus Christi will play against Tulsa at 1:30 p.m. to finish out the weekend.
All games will be available to stream online at BTNPlus.com.
The Islanders, who won their conference tournament two years in a row, will face the Huskers, the 2021 NCAA Tournament runners-up, in the first ever meeting of the two programs. A&M-Corpus Christi will also match up with Pepperdine for the first time ever, with the Waves receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll. Tulsa and A&M-Corpus Christi will meet for just the fourth time.
"I am looking forward to this weekend and the opportunity it gives us to see where we are at as a team and what our weaknesses are so we can continue to improve," said head coach
Steve Greene.
The Islanders return seniors
Faith Panhans, an All-American, and
Carissa Barnes, the two-time SLC Libero of the Year, along with sophomore
Kyndal Payne. All three players were named to the SLC Preseason All-Conference First-Team.
The roster also features a strong newcomer class of seven players made up of five freshman, one transfer and graduate student
Aurora Carnes who has been a member of the school's beach volleyball team the last two years and helped that team reach the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
"I'm excited to see how our newcomers handle their first collegiate matches and get a chance to showcase their talents," Greene said. "We will also be looking to see how our returners handle some new leadership roles as the season progresses.
"Our ball control has looked really solid these past couple weeks. If we can lean on that as a strength this weekend, our offense should start to come alive."
Aligning with a challenging preseason schedule, the Islanders will also face competitive programs like Rice, Texas Tech, UTEP, SMU and Arizona this year.
"I really like to schedule the strongest preseason we can so that we can see where we stand against some of the best teams in the country. We will use what we learn in the preseason matches against those top opponents to prepare us to compete in the Southland," said Greene.
The Islanders were picked to finish first in the SLC preseason poll with 13 first-place votes after being named the 2021 regular season champions and making it to the NCAA Tournament for consecutive years.
With an RPI ranking of 104 out of 340 programs heading into the weekend, A&M-Corpus Christi ranks the highest in the Southland.
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