NEW ORLEANS, La. – Closing out another undefeated year in conference play, the #20 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi beach volleyball team will return home with the regular season trophy in tow as the back-to-back champions finished with a pair of 4-1 wins over HCU and Southeastern on the final day of the SLC Midyear tournament.
The Islanders (19-4, 7-0 SLC) have now locked up the No. 1 seed for the SLC Championships, scheduled for April 19-21. It is the third straight year that A&M-Corpus Christi will enter the tournament as the top seed as the nationally ranked Islanders will look to three-peat that title and make a return to the NCAA Tournament.
"I am extremely proud of how well we played over the past three days to win the regular season championship!" said head coach
Gayle Stammer. "Our work ethic on the courts was outstanding, we battled through rain, heat, wind, and fatigue and still came out undefeated. We know what we are up against going into the SLC Championships and I'm excited that we have a few more weeks to enhance our game before then!"
Under Stammer, the Islanders improve to 33-0 against Southland opponents in regular season matches. They have not dropped any match to a conference member since 2021.
All five courts saw the same pairings on the day with flights two through five earning the four points in each match. They all did so in straight sets.
Chloe Tome/
Cassie Dodd paired at court two to open with a 21-14, 21-15 victory over HCU. They then closed the day with a pair of 21-17 sets against Southeastern.
Hannah Doyle/
Stephanie Young represented court three for a 21-15, 21-18 opener and another two 21-15 sets in the second match for the 2-0 day. The duo went undefeated in conference play and is currently riding an 11-match winning streak.
Tori Johnson/
Raven Jordan were partners at court four for both matches, keeping both opponents to under 15 points in every set.
Kela Moreno/
Elizabeth Cortez rounded out the lineup at flight five and picked up a 21-16, 21-15 win over the Huskies and a 21-19, 21-11 win over the Lady Lions.
It is the fourth championship in three years for the Islanders, winning every possible title since the 2022 tournament. They are the only team to reign as regular season champions after the inaugural title was awarded to the Islanders last year.
The Islanders will now return home with a lot of momentum as they will remain in Corpus Christi to host their annual Islander Classic tournament this upcoming weekend at Water's Edge Park Friday and Saturday. They will welcome UTEP, UT-Martin, SFA, and Texas.
Match One Results - #20 A&M-Corpus Christi 4, HCU 1
1. Bufkin, Abbey/Kleymeyer, Kristen (HCU) def. Bobay, Kristin/Morrow, Madison (AMCC) 21-15, 14-21, 15-13
2. Tome, Chloe/Dodd, Cassie (AMCC) def. Heilbrun, Rachel/Gilmour, Kristin (HCU) 21-14, 21-15
3. Doyle, Hannah/Young, Stephanie (AMCC) def. Palmer, Paige/Pearce, Audrey (HCU) 21-15, 21-18
4. Johnson, Tori/Jordan, Raven (AMCC) def. Alper, Mary/Axelrod, Gabi (HCU) 21-13, 21-11
5. Cortez, Elizabeth/Moreno, Kela (AMCC) def. Griffith, Kylann/Lockhardt, Tatum (HCU) 21-16, 21-15
Match Two Results - #20 A&M-Corpus Christi 4, Southeastern 1
1. Hartmann, Rachel/Da Silva, Andrea (SL) def. Bobay, Kristin/Morrow, Madison (AMCC) 21-14, 15-21, 15-13
2. Tome, Chloe/Dodd, Cassie (AMCC) def. Logarbo, Alexis/Shepston, Maddie (SL) 21-17, 21-17
3. Doyle, Hannah/Young, Stephanie (AMCC) def. McKinney, Mia/Lockwood, Ysabella (SL) 21-15, 21-15
4. Johnson, Tori/Jordan, Raven (AMCC) def. Schlotzhauer, Lauren/Sauers, Mia (SL) 21-10, 21-15
5. Cortez, Elizabeth/Moreno, Kela (AMCC) def. Hicks, Makayla/Vincent, Emmaleigh (SL) 21-19, 21-11
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