DALLAS – In its second match of the SMU Doubletree Invitational, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi took a set and went deep in another against the host SMU in a 3-1 decision Saturday at Moody Coliseum.
The Islanders dropped a nail-biting 27-25 first set after coming back from a 24-22 deficit. After falling in the second, A&M-Corpus Christi kept battling and won the third 27-25. Though, the Mustangs were able to prevail in the fourth.
"I'm pleased with the turnaround from yesterday and glad to see we are back on track with improving and focused on getting better and putting in our fullest effort," said head coach
Steve Greene.
A big day came from graduate
Belle Morgan as she registered a season-high 10 kills do go along with 36 assists for her second double-double of the season. She hit at a .474 clip and tallied five digs to aid the defense.
"Belle did a beautiful job to push the comeback in set three and put us in a position to win that set," Greene said.
Junior
Kyndal Payne led the offense with 14 kills and neared a double-double with nine digs. Fellow junior
Leah Stolfus slammed nine kills and hit for a .346 mark. Sophomore
Tori Arrington also got in on the action with six kills and a .294 hitting percentage.
"Leah and Tori had really nice matches offensively and showcased their high-level attacking skills," Greene said.
Defensively, the Islanders rejected six blocks in the match and covered ground for 66 digs, compared to SMU's 54. Sophomores
Zoria Heard and
Kendall Mahaney each saw time as libero and finished with 18 and 12 digs, respectively.
"Our defense had flashed of great play, but we weren't able to come up with key plays in opportune moments that would have shifted the momentum," Greene said.
SMU was paced by Jamison Wheeler's 18 kills, Celia Cullen's 37 assists and Sinalauli'I Uluave's 22 digs.
The Islanders will conclude the tournament Sunday with a 3 p.m. neutral court match against Texas Tech.
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