BATON ROUGE, La. – Only dropping a 4-1 decision to the No. 7 LSU Tigers, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi beach volleyball team showcased their resilience and skill on day one at the Tiger Beach Challenge with wins over Nebraska and Central Arkansas
The Islanders (5-2) opened the day with victory over first-year program Nebraska who featured a roster full of the national runner-up indoor squad securing a convincing 4-1 win. After falling to the nationally ranked host LSU in just a 4-1 decision, A&M-Corpus Christi bounced back for a 5-0 sweep over Central Arkansas.
The duo of
Elizabeth Cortez and
Tori Johnson delivered a strong performance and went undefeated 3-0 on the day at court five, including a straight-set victory over the No. 7 Tigers. They are the second pair of the year to win a dual against a nationally ranked opponent after
Hannah Doyle/
Cassie Dodd defeated No. 2 Cal Poly over opening weekend.
The day also saw a rearranged lineup from the Islanders, as
Kristin Bobay and
Madison Morrow played at flight one and only dropped a tough three-setter to LSU on the day after jumping out to a 21-17 first set lead. Dodd paired with
Chloe Tome against the Tigers at court two as this pair also went three-sets with the top-20 squad, forcing the deciding set after taking the second 21-19.
As a whole, the Islanders improve to 26-9 in duals this year.
While the only two losses of the year having been to top-20 opponents, the Islanders have yet to allow a sweep. They also improve to 5-3 all-time over Central Arkansas not allowing them to gain a point against them since the 2019 season. The islanders also now hold a 1-0 record against the Huskers.
As the weekend comes to a close the Islanders are gearing up for two exciting matches featuring Southern Miss where they aim to extend their winning streak over the golden eagles making a perfect record of 5-0. The day concludes with a challenging match off versus Tulane where the Islanders trail the series with a record of 1-4 hoping to shift the momentum in their favor with a victory.
Against the Green Wave, it will be a matchup between two teams who have both been receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll.
Match One – A&M-Corpus Christi 4, Nebraska 1
1.
Kristin Bobay/
Madison Morrow (TAMUCC) def. Batenhorst, Ally/Reilly, Bergen (NEB) 21-18, 21-17
2.
Stephanie Young/
Chloe Tome (TAMUCC) def. Rodriguez, Lexi/Krause, Lindsay (NEB) 21-15, 21-14
3.
Cassie Dodd/
Hannah Doyle (TAMUCC) def. Murray, Harper/Choboy, Laney (NEB) 21-18, 21-14
4. Pierce, Skyler/Beason, Merritt (NEB) def.
Raven Jordan/
Kela Moreno (TAMUCC) 16-21, 21-17, 17-15
5.
Elizabeth Cortez/
Tori Johnson (TAMUCC) def. Mauch, Olivia/Jackson, Andi (NEB) 21-14, 21-17
Ext.
Millie Olsson/Maria Duda Fernandes (TAMUCC) def. Boesiger, Maisie/Kenney, Kyla (NEB) 21-13, 21-4
Match Two – No. 7 LSU 4, A&M-Corpus Christi 1
1. Gabi Bailey/Amber Haynes (LSU) def.
Kristin Bobay/
Madison Morrow (TAMUCC) 17-21, 21-14, 15-7
2. Reilly Allred/Parker Bracken (LSU) def.
Cassie Dodd/
Chloe Tome (TAMUCC) 21-17, 19-21, 15-12
3. Ellie Shank/Ella Larkin (LSU) def.
Stephanie Young/
Hannah Doyle (TAMUCC) 21-14, 21-17
4. Amelia Taft/Skylar Martin (LSU) def.
Raven Jordan/
Kela Moreno (TAMUCC) 21-19, 21-17
5.
Elizabeth Cortez/
Tori Johnson (TAMUCC) def. Brooke Blutreich/Kate Baker (LSU) 21-17, 21-19
Ext. Emily Meyer/Ashush Yali (LSU) def.
Millie Olsson/
Autumn Stroop (TAMUCC) 21-15, 21-18
Match Three – A&M-Corpus Christi 5, Central Arkansas 0
1.
Kristin Bobay/
Madison Morrow (TAMUCC) def. Katie Atkinson/Brooke Kuball (UCA) 21-14, 21-19
2.
Cassie Dodd/
Chloe Tome (TAMUCC) def. Anna Collums/Payton Sproule (UCA) 21-18, 21-14
3.
Stephanie Young/
Hannah Doyle (TAMUCC) def. Naya Tan/Anna Linskey (UCA) 21-11, 21-12
4. Maria Duda Fernandes/
Millie Olsson (TAMUCC) def. Madelyn White/Audrey Cathcart (UCA) 21-13, 21-11
5.
Elizabeth Cortez/
Tori Johnson (TAMUCC) def. Liliana Irizary/Emmie Tidwell (UCA) 21-13, 21-12
Ext.
Autumn Stroop/
Kela Moreno (TAMUCC) def. Madelyn White/Ella Weilert (UCA) 21-15, 21-16
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