AUSTIN, Texas – Hanging tough with the defending national champions for five sets, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi volleyball team showed a lot of strengths and depth in an exhibition match with No. 1 Texas at Gregory Gymnasium Friday night.
The match was predetermined to go all five sets as both teams had the opportunity to put multiple different rotations on the court. The Islanders played all 18 available student-athletes as well as suited up three different liberos. 10 different islanders registered a kill against the No. 1 Longhorns for 36 total, with junior AVCA All-American
Kyndal Payne hammering 12 herself.
"I was very pleased with how the team came out and started the match tonight," said head coach
Steve Greene. "Texas does an outstanding job of playing at a high level and we were able to play through some of those challenges quite well. Our defense had flashes of really outstanding play from all three liberos,
Kayla White,
Kendall Mahaney, and
Zoria Heard, which was really nice to see. Being able to bounce back after a couple of tough sets showed high character from our team as well."
Payne opened with a kill for the first point of the match going A&M-corpus Christi's way. The teams traded points until junior
Rylee Achtzehn got past the block for the kill, giving the Islanders an 8-7 advantage. The Islanders stayed ahead 15-14 at the media break but Texas came out of the timeout to win three consecutive points for a lead never relinquished. The solo block by graduate
Belle Morgan had the Islanders only trailing 19-18 but the Longhorns closed out the first set on a 6-2 run for the 25-20 advantage.
Payne started set two the same way as her kill gave the Islanders a 1-0 up. A&M-Corpus Christi continued to lead it 3-2 with the kill by Morgan before Texas fired back with a 7-0 scoring run, finally broken by the double block of graduate
Morgan Smith and Achtzehn. Although Payne tacked on three more kills in the set, Texas controlled most of the second for a more decisive 25-10 final.
Texas kept the momentum going with a quick 4-1 lead in set three before the kill by Achtzehn got the Islanders to two. The Longhorns went up 6-2 but Texas errors and another kill by Payne put the Islanders within one. Texas extended its lead up to 18-7 before freshman
Alexis Massey earned her first kill as an Islander with her second coming at the end prior to the Longhorns closing out a 25-12 set three score.
Back-to-back kills by junior
Leah Stolfus and Morgan gave the Islanders a fast two points in the fourth. The Islanders then trailed 7-6 but the attack by freshman
Reese Miller from the right side tied things up. An impressive defensive effort in consecutive rallies let the Islanders tie the set up again at 9-all after the sneak-kill by Morgan. Junior
Tori Arrington found the hole for the kill as the Islanders continued to hang 22-17, and although her solo block staved off Texas's set point to make it 24-19, the Longhorns won the next chance for a 25-19 set four.
In the final set of the night, Achtzehn got the friendly roll off the net for the opening kill. Junior
Kayla White followed it up with an ace from the service line as the Islanders led it 2-0. Another attack from Stolfus out of the middle kept the Islanders ahead 3-2 before Texas took over 5-4 for the final lead of the match as the Longhorns took set five just 15-8.
A&M-Corpus Christi's season will officially begin next Friday at Sam Houston in the Bearkat Invitational. The home opener is set for Sept. 7 as they host their annual Islanders Classic.
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