NATCHITOCHES, La. – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi volleyball team built upon their winning streak and made it seven straight Saturday after sweeping (25-17, 25-21, 25-18) Northwestern State for the second time in the past week.
It is the seventh win in a row for the Islanders (11-8, 6-2 SLC) and sixth straight conference win, only having dropped three sets in that unbeaten stretch. It is their seventh sweep of the year and third in a row, with two of those now coming against the Lady Demons (6-10, 1-6 SLC) after the two played each other just last Saturday in Corpus Christi which ended in the same result.
The Islanders were well rounded at 54 kills and 54 digs on the day, out-performing the Lady Demons in both as the home team was held to just 29 kills and 39 digs. Graduate
Alex Hoglund ran the offense to a .293 hitting percentage with 43 assists, her fourth time this year to record 40+ assists in just a three-set match and third in a row.
The Islanders are 11-1 this year when hitting above .200 and a perfect 11-0 when recording more kills than their opponent. Defensively, it is A&M-Corpus Christi's fourth opponent to be held to under 30 kills and seventh to hit under .200.
"Our team really played well and stayed in control throughout the match," said head coach
Steve Greene. "Northwestern State has a lot of weapons and did a great job making changes in the second set which made us really have to focus and I am very happy with how we responded."
Senior
Kyndal Payne put on an offensive showcase, recording her season-high in a three-set match with 18 kills. She hit for a .366 clip, her fifth time hitting above .300 this year. Payne has now recorded 10+ kills in seven of the eight conference matchups.
Senior
Leah Stolfus turned in 12 kills with just two errors for a .500 hitting day. It is her second time hitting .500+ but has hit above .400 in a match nine times this year. Junior
Tori Arrington also hit in double figures with 11 kills, recording a .474 individual clip.
Payne, Stolfus, and Arrington have all turned in at least 10+ kills each in the same match five times this year. The Islanders are 4-1 when the three of them each record double figure kills.
"Alex did an oustanding job of keeping our team in control and putting our hitters in great positions to score. Leah was a great voice in practice and in the match today, keeping our team loose and relaxed. Kyndal showcased her ability to attack in so many ways today and when challenged, she adapted and responded with a lot of poise," Greene said.
Redshirt freshman
Brooklyn Jaeger recorded her second straight double figure dig match with 12, which followed up her career best 14 digs set in the previous match. Senior
Kendall Mahaney picked up 10 digs, her eighth 10+ dig match of the year and fifth in conference play.
"Brooklyn really played well in her first start at libero. She's been working diligently every day to improve her ball control and it showed today as she led us to an outstanding team defensive effort," said Greene.
A&M-Corpus Christi extends their lead to 16-12 in the all-time series with Northwestern State, not having lost a regular season matchup to the Lady Demons since 2019.
The Islanders will now return home where they have another streak they'll be looking to extend with a 6-0 home record this year. A&M-Corpus Christi will face Nicholls on Thursday and McNeese on Saturday in the Dugan Wellness Center.
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