DALLAS, Texas – Despite battling for a set one win, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi volleyball team couldn't hold off Texas Tech's comeback on Sunday who took it 3-1 in the weekend and nonconference finale at the SMU Doubletree Invitational.
The Islanders (5-7) pulled out a 28-26 win in a back-and-forth first set before Texas Tech (7-5) knotted the match up with a 25-22 set two. After dropping set three 25-14, A&M-Corpus Christi led late in the fourth 18-17 before the Red Raiders managed to pull away for the 25-22 set four and match win.
A&M-Corpus Christi continued their streak of out-digging their opponents, turning in 61 compared to Texas Tech's 53. The Islanders were led by the defensive prowess of sophomore
Zoria Heard who picked up her career-high 23 digs to also lead the match. Sophomore
Kendall Mahaney stepped up big for the Islanders and ranked second in the match in digs with 12.
"Kendall showed her character as well as her drive to win by boosting up her teammates' confidence and play today. What she did today will be a defining moment for this team and I couldn't be more proud of her and what an amazing person she is," said head coach
Steve Greene.
"Zoria had a breakthrough match. She started to play within herself and play freely and it was really nice to see her make plays and compete at a high level," said Greene.
Offensively, junior
Leah Stolfus hit for a .391 clip off 13 kills, her fifth time this season hammering double digits. Fellow junior
Kyndal Payne led the match with 17 kills and neared a double-double once more with eight digs while sophomore
Rylee Achtzehn tallied nine kills for the second time this season.
Stolfus and Payne were both named to the SMU Doubletree Invitational All-Tournament team.
"Leah played an outstanding match and really took over in the middle. It was so awesome to see her control certain situations and keep her composure throughout," said head coach
Steve Greene.
Running the offense was graduate
Belle Morgan who led the match with 41 assists. It comes after a big performance the day prior, where she turned in 36 assists along with 10 kills for her second double-double of the season.
"Belle is steadily improving and showing flashes of being a dominant setter. I am looking forward to seeing her as her confidence continues to increase," said Greene.
The Islanders out-dug all three Power Five opponents over the weekend, aiding in their season average of 14.7 digs per set.
Texas Tech was pushed by the offensive efforts of Caitlin Dugan and Emily Merrick who both registered 14 kills for over .460 marks. Dugan also denied the Islanders five times at the net while Kate Hansen led the match with seven blocks.
The match concluded the nonconference slate of the 2023 season, as the Islanders will open conference play next when they host Lamar on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the Dugan Wellness Center.
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