HOUSTON, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi volleyball team couldn't match their recent success and had a quiet night against host Rice, falling 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-17) Thursday night in the Rice Invitational.
The Islanders (4-6) kept a close battle in the first two sets before ultimately trailing off for Rice to take both 25-21. A&M-Corpus Christi came out stronger to start the third with a 5-0 scoring run before the Owls settled in and relied on a 2-0 match lead to finish out the frame on top of the visiting squad.
The offense never really got hot, despite challenging Rice every set. Senior
Katelyn Krienke lifted a heavy load with 10 kills for a .381 individual hitting clip. Freshmen
Jaeda Rawls-Fletcher and
Tatum Mason found a way past the Owls for six and five kills, respectively, each turning in a .200 hitting efficiency.
The back line was defended by redshirt sophomore
Brooklyn Jaeger who picked up 19 digs in the three-set effort. The 19 marks her second most in her career during a three-set match, behind a massive 37-dig performance in the SLC Finals last season that sent the Islanders to the NCAA Tournament.
Sophomore
Virginia Van Der Werff, coming off her second SLC Setter of the Week accolade, dished out 24 assists and added two service aces. She entered the match leading the league in both assists/set and aces.
The Islanders will continue their final nonconference weekend tomorrow when they face a daunting No. 9 TCU squad at 4 p.m.
#ShakasUp
