CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi volleyball team returned to the Dugan Wellness Center tonight as they hosted Northwestern State in Southland play. The Islanders honored three seniors prior to the match, Kenna Buchanan, Ally Saleh, and Madison Morrow, as they defeated the Demons 3-1 (25-20, 25-14, 23-25, 25-16). The Islanders move to 9-15 overall and 7-6 in SLC play.

The Islanders jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead in the opening set and never looked back. Northwestern State made a pair of runs in the set, but the Islanders always had an answer to pull away again. Corpus Christi hit .379 in the set and finished with 16 kills as a team, with Ally Saleh and Virginia Van Der Werff who each had four kills. 

The home side carried their momentum into the second set as they dominated the Demons in the second, taking it 25-14. The Islanders picked off five-straight points to go up 13-6 and didn't let their opponents back in the set. Two of the seniors played a major role in the win tonight as Buchanan and Saleh combined for nine of their 26 kills in the second set. The Islanders hit .355 and held the Demons to a zero hitting percentage. 

It looked like the Islanders were on their way to a sweep as they led 21-17 in the third set, but the Demons fought back and won the next six points to put them in position to take the third. The Demons were battling their way back into the match as the two sides were tied 12-12 in the fourth, but the Islanders delivered a decisive 7-0 run to close out the match behind the serve of Erin Herrmann.

The Islanders were firing on all cylinders offensively, hitting .362 in the match. They had four players hit over .400 in the match and three finished with double-digit kills. Sophomore Mason Tatum is starting to come on strong for the Islanders late in the season, as she once again set her career-high in kills with 16 while hitting .432. Seniors Buchanan and Saleh each finished with 13 kills on the night, while Van Der Werff added eight kills, 44 assists, and eight digs.

The win propels the Islanders into solo fifth place in the conference at 7-6. They remain home over the weekend and host East Texas A&M on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Lions are 9-17 on the season and fell to the Islanders 3-1 when the two sides played earlier this year.

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