HUNTSVILLE, Texas – In the opening weekend finale, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi volleyball team went down 1-0 to Sam Houston before rallying to win the next three straight sets and conclude the Bearkat Invitational with a victory Saturday.
The Islanders (2-1) went down in a tight 25-22 set one and faced going down 2-0 in the match when Sam Houston (2-2) reached set point 24-22 in the second. Though, A&M-Corpus Christi gritted out the come from behind victory with a 4-0 scoring run to even and eventually win the match.
"Tonight's match with Sam Houston was a total team effort," said head coach
Steve Greene. "Their team is very well coached and puts in maximum effort every play so I'm really proud of how well we handled their relentless play. Our coaches were also amazing tonight. Kristin [Watson] did an outstanding job with our team defense and keeping everyone focused and anticipating, and Julia [Carter] had our blockers and attackers really thinking ahead of plays and making smart decisions."
The Islanders turned in their best overall performance against Sam Houston to complete the weekend 2-1. On the offensive side, the team hit for a .331 mark from 65 kills led by junior
Tori Arrington who totaled 13 kills for an individual hitting percentage of .591. Junior
Leah Stolfus also registered 13 attacks.
Defensively, A&M-Corpus Christi picked up season-high 74 digs compared to Sam Houston's 67. Junior
Kayla White wore the different jersey and tallied 24 digs. Out of five team blocks, Arrington blocked four herself.
Junior
Kyndal Payne extended her streak of 10+ kills in a game with 11 tonight, registering double figures in every match over the weekend. It was also her second straight double-double, picking up 12 digs against the Bearkats as well. She was selected to the Bearkat Invitational All-Tournament team along with graduate transfer
Belle Morgan who posted 96 assists and 19 kills over the weekend.
"We had a very well-balanced offense tonight which is a testament to our first touches and our setters for being quick thinkers and balanced themselves. Tori had a breakthrough performance tonight, she was playing so high above the net and making smart plays in addition to some huge swings. Kayla also really came out focused and played outstanding defense. She made very difficult plays look easy at times," Greene said.
Arrington showed her arm early with two quick kills as the Islanders took a 3-1 lead in the first. Set one featured 11 tied scores and five lead changes as the team remained locked nearly the whole way including junior
Rylee Achtzehn's kill forcing a 21-21 tie. Though, the Bearkats created separation at the end and took it 25-22.
Set two began similarly before Sam Houston pulled ahead 14-9. The Bearkats led late 19-14 but the Islanders began cutting into the deficit to trail 22-21. Sam Houston reached set point with a 24-22 edge, but Stolfus stepped up big in the final points as three consecutive kills gave A&M-Corpus Christi a set point opportunity. Payne solidified the comeback with the high shot off the block as the Islanders evened the match 1-1.
The Islanders came out hot in the third, shutting down Sam Houston for a 10-0 lead. A lot of the newcomers had their go at the Bearkats, with
Alexis Massey,
Kenna Buchanan,
Eloise McGibben, and
Morgan Smith all registering a kill. Sam Houston would never get back within nine as the Islanders closed out a dominate 25-15 set three.
Sam Houston would keep it close in the fourth, but hustle plays by the Islanders helped give them the edge with Achtzehn earning the match-winning kill after the long rally for a 25-21 final.
A&M-Corpus Christi will be back in action next weekend as it heads to take on Texas Southern in two matches between Friday and Saturday.
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