NEW ORLEANS, La. – A tied match with a trip to the championship on the line came down to court two where a three-set dual required extra points, and it was the pairing of
Kristin Bobay/
Millie Olsson of the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi beach volleyball team that outlasted No. 1 Boise State to clinch a 3-2 semifinal win Friday.
The Islanders (22-12) will now return to the championship match, having done so in every conference tournament since it began in 2021. It is set for tomorrow at 2 p.m. as the Islanders will look to four-peat and get back to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth year in a row.
The teams traded points in the match as the Islanders evened it up at 1-1 after the SLC Pair of the Year
Madison Morrow/
Tess Spaansen took a 21-18, 21-16 victory at the ones. The fours were next as
Jade Bennett/
Bryce Ranney pulled the Islanders ahead 2-1 in the match with another straight set victory.
Boise State knotted the match once more at the fives, and all eyes went to court two where
Kristin Bobay/
Millie Olsson saw themselves down the first set. They battled back, however, and took the second 21-18 to force a third.
That third set didn't disappoint between the top two teams, as it required extras which extended past the normal 15-point mark and even past the 21-point mark. After fending off several match points, Bobay/Olssen finally put it away to take a 25-23 set three to clinch the match and send the Islanders to the title game.
The Islanders will face the winner of No. 1 Boise State and No. 3 San Jose State/No. 4 SFA after two elimination matches are played in the morning. The championship match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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