LINCOLN, Nebraska – Continuing the season off against another Power Five opponent, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi volleyball team battled out a tough 30-28 first set before ultimately fell to Oklahoma 3-1 Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
The Islanders (0-2) came out strong in the first, outhitting the Sooners (1-1) .368 to .233 for the edge in extra points. However, Oklahoma was able to reverse those numbers to top A&M-Corpus Christi 27-17, 25-11, 25-21 in the next three sets to take over the match.
Though, the Islanders threatened a fifth set after a late 4-0 scoring run put them up 19-18 in the fourth before Oklahoma pulled off the same to go up 24-20 for match point.
It is the first time the Islanders won a set against a Power Five school since last season when they took the first set against Texas Tech on Sept. 17. Both instances came in the first set in extra points, as the Islanders beat the Red Raiders 28-26 to open the match then.
"Oklahoma did a great job of making changes during the match," said head coach
Steve Greene. "They have a well-coached team that was able to adapt between sets and make the necessary changes to be successful. In the first set, we were communicating and adapting point to point. Unfortunately in the next three sets, we did not respond quickly enough or have the needed mental acuity to put ourselves in a position to win the match."
Senior
Kyndal Payne came out with her first double-double of the season, leading the team with both 12 kills and 15 digs. She also added a pair of solo blocks and assists to her stat line on the day.
Senior
Leah Stolfus joined her teammate in double figures, recording 10 kills of her own from the middle position. Junior Rylee Achztehn came away with eight kills, only making two errors on 15 attempts for the team-high .400 hitting percentage. She also dropped in a service ace against the Sooners.
Graduate
Alex Hoglund led the team with a pair of aces on the day, and matched her season-opening performance with 27 assists. She ran the offense to its .368 hitting clip in the first set, the season high.
It was just the third-ever meeting between A&M-Corpus Christi and Oklahoma, and first since the 2001 season. Every meeting has come on a neutral court.
The road swing over opening weekend will extend to College Station on Monday when the Islanders face Texas A&M at 4 p.m. for their third straight power opponent. They will then return home for the Islander Classic, presented by Schlotzsky's, next Thursday through Saturday.
#ShakasUp
