HOUSTON, Texas – In the Southland Conference Tournament semifinals, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi beach volleyball team narrowly missed out on victory against No. 2 Boise State Saturday, falling just 3-2 to drop to the elimination bracket with hopes still alive for a championship at Third Coast Volleyball.
After a strong start on day one of the tournament, the Islanders (26-9) couldn't maintain their flawless record despite fighting hard to keep their momentum.
Madison Morrow and
Kristin Bobay, representing at flight two, secured the first point for the team in a tense three-set match against Boise but the Broncos evened it from court four.
The ones pair,
Cassie Dodd and
Chloe Tome, then secured a decisive victory against Boise's top pair who were named the SLC Pair of the Year, winning both sets 21-15.
The match intensified as the threes and fives engaged in grueling three-set battles.
Jade Bennett and
Tori Johnson of flight 5 claimed the first set 21-17, but Boise fought back to win the second set 21-17, leading to a tense third set which ended with a narrow 12-15 loss for the Islanders.
With the series tied 2-2, all attention turned to court three, where
Stephanie Young and
Millie Olsson fought valiantly. Despite winning the first set 21-17, they barely fell short the next two sets 18-21 and 16-18, concluding the match.
It is just the second-ever loss for A&M-Corpus Christi in the conference tournament, who are now 8-2 in SLC tournament matches.
Looking forward, the Islanders are determined to bounce back as they face No. 3 HCU tomorrow at 11 a.m. in another semifinal run. They aim to secure a spot in the championship match at 2 p.m., where they hope for a rematch against No. 2 Boise State for the Southland Conference Tournament title.
Both matches will be available to watch live on ESPN+.
Match Results – No. 2 Boise State 3, No. 1 A&M Corpus Christi 2
- Cassie Dodd/Chloe Tome (AMCC) def. Marlayna Bullington/Sierra Land (Boise) 21-15, 21-15
- Madison Morrow/Kristin Bobay (AMCC) def. Emilia Guerra-Acuna/Ava Anderson (Boise) 21-15, 21-23, 17-15
- Addison Wolden/Abbie Wolf (Boise) def. Stephanie Young/ Millie Olsson (AMCC) 21-17, 18-21, 16-18
- Lily Patock/Rorianna Chartier (Boise) def. Elizabeth Cortez/Kela Moreno (AMCC) 16-21, 19-21
- Elli Wolthuis/Sharli O'Neil (Boise) def. Jade Bennett/Tori Johnson (AMCC) 21-17, 17-21, 12-15
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