HOUSTON, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi beach volleyball will face four conference opponents in a Southland mid-year tournament on Saturday and Sunday at Third Coast Volleyball Club.
The Islanders (5-4) will begin with two morning matchups on Saturday against Boise State (6-2) at 9 a.m. followed by a 11 a.m. match against Southeastern (3-6). Another pair of matches on Sunday will close the weekend for A&M-Corpus Christi, who will face San Jose State (4-0) at 11 a.m. and Nicholls (2-6) at 3 p.m.
The results from this weekend will go towards determining seeding for the SLC Championships, hosted by the Islanders on April 21-23. A&M-Corpus Christi held the No. 1 seed at last year's tournament where the team went on to win it and earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. The Islanders were predicted to repeat last year's success in the SLC Preseason Poll..
It will be the first meetings with Boise State and San Jose State for the Islanders since the two schools became affiliate members this year.
A&M-Corpus Christi has won 20 consecutive regular season matches against SLC opponents dating back to 2019. It includes a 5-0 sweep over HCU over opening weekend this year in Houston.
The Islanders are on a three-match winning streak, coming off wins over Palm Beach Atlantic, Southern Miss and Saint Leo. On flight three, sophomore
Jade Bennett and junior
Tori Johnson went undefeated in those matches, sweeping each team in straight sets.
On court five, sophomore
Kela Moreno and junior
Shea Slusser clinched both matches over Southern Miss and Saint Leo in the 3-2 wins. The pair also went 3-0 in the last three matches for the Islanders.
Moreno and Slusser hold the team-best 6-3 record on the season so far.
Senior
Giuliana Poletti Corrales and graduate
Kiley Lewis hold a 5-4 record on court one. The duo of Bennett and Johnson is also 5-4 on the season. Corrales, Lewis, Johnson, and Slusser were all named to the Southland's "Players to Watch" list. All four were named to All-Conference Teams last season.
Newcomers
Kristin Bobay and
Chloe Tome are 4-5 on the year at flight two. They are the only pair to have a win over a ranked opponent after battling back to defeat #15 Florida International's number twos 18-21, 21-17, and 15-10.
The Islanders are 2-0 all-time over Boise State, defeating them twice in 2021. It will be just the second meeting between A&M-Corpus Christi and San Jose State and first since 2019 when the Islanders won 4-1. The Islanders lead Nicholls 3-0 all-time and Southeastern 4-0.
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