CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – With a tournament title in sight, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi beach volleyball will return to the SLC Tournament championship match after downing Boise State 3-0 in the semifinals Saturday at The Water's Edge Park.
The Islanders (23-9) will now get a chance to repeat as champions after winning the tournament last year. They will play the winner of No. 3 Boise State and No. 4 New Orleans, who face each other in the semifinals at 9 a.m. Sunday. The championship match is slated right behind at 11 a.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
The win was spurred by grueling three-setters on courts four and five. Sophomore
Kela Moreno and redshirt junior
Shea Slusser, an All-Conference Second-Team pair, played at the four spot and gritted out a 16-14 set three win for the 1-0 lead. A few moments later, freshman
Maria Duda Fernandes de Melo and sophomore
Hannah Doyle completed the same feat with the same set three score, sealed by Fernandes de Melo's service ace. Both pairs are now 2-0 in the tournament.
In the second round, senior
Giuliana Poletti Corrales and graduate
Kiley Lewis on court one closed out their first win of the tournament with a 21-19, 21-18 decision to clinch the match. Corrales and Lewis were named to the All-Conference Second-Team.
"That was a really fun game against Boise State with a lot of tight action," said head coach
Gayle Stammer. "I thought we played with a lot of grit in these conditions with the wind and of course I am pleased with where we are as we turn to the championship with the opportunity to win at home."
The Islanders advance to the SLC Tournament finale for the third year in a row. They will be going for their third championship in two years after also winning the inaugural regular season title this season with a 6-0 SLC record. A&M-Corpus Christi has not loss to an SLC opponent since the 2021 season.
A&M-Corpus Christi 3, Boise State 0
1. Poletti Corrales/Lewis (AMCC) def. Chartier/Land (BSU) 21-19, 21-18
2. Tome/Bobay (AMCC) vs. Anderson/Christensen (BSU) 18-21, 19-20, uf
3. Bennett/Johnson (AMCC) vs. Guerra-Acuna/Patock (BSU) 18-21, 18-15 , uf
4. Slusser/Moreno (AMCC) def. Wolthuis/Mejia (BSU) 21-19, 17-21, 16-14
5. Fernandes de Melo/Doyle (AMCC) def. Benson/Vetter (BSU) 19-21, 21-16, 16-14
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