CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A matchup of the Southland Conference's top two teams and a rematch of last season's tournament championship match did not disappoint as both HBU and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi were outstanding offensively, but the Islanders were able to pull away down the stretch in each set they won for a 3-1 (25-20, 18-25, 25-20, 25-22) victory over the Huskies Thursday night at Dugan Wellness Center.
Junior outside hitter
Bailey Banks posted her 14
th double-double of the season with 19 kills and 17 digs for HBU (14-9, 5-2 SLC). Three other Huskies recorded double-digit kills as senior right side
Ashlee Vann hit .429 with 13 kills and only one attack error, junior middle blocker
Blair Gillard hit .476 with 12 kills and senior outside hitter
Melissa Fuchs also notched a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs. Senior setter
Kayla Armer handed out 49 assists with nine kills, while junior libero
Hailey Erickson came up with 15 digs and junior defensive specialist
Rachel Angeles added nine. Junior outside hitter
Laura Fox led HBU with four blocks.
Brittany Gilpin hit .310 with 18 kills and nine digs for TAMU-CC (7-0), while Morgan Carlson added 13 kills and 15 digs. Madison Fitzsimmons hit .565 with 13 kills, no errors, and four blocks. Kristyn Nicholson had 50 assists and five digs, while Kate Klepetka led all players with 25 digs and Madison Woods recorded 15.
The Islanders hit .275 for the match, while the Huskies hit .247. TAMU-CC outdug HBU, 79-65, while the Huskies edged the Islanders in blocks, 8-7.
TAMU-CC never trailed in the opening set, but HBU tied the score, 8-8, on an ace by Gillard. Holding a 13-12 lead, the Islanders scored four-straight and still led by five at 19-14, until the Huskies answered with four of their own to get back within one. A kill by Banks kept HBU within one at 21-20, but TAMU-CC scored the final four points of the frame for a 25-20 decision. The Islanders hit .400 for the set, while the Huskies hit .289.
HBU scored three of the first four points of the second set, but the two teams would not be separated by more than one point until the Huskies went ahead 16-14. Still clinging to a two-point advantage, HBU ripped off five-straight points behind kills by Vann and Gillard and an ace by Erickson to get to set point. After an Islanders side out, Gillard put away a kill to even the match with a 25-18 win. HBU hit .371, while limiting TAMU-CC to .122.
The Islanders came out hot after the intermission, scoring the first five points in the third. The Huskies recovered and stayed within striking distance, but still trailed 20-15. HBU then scored five of the next six points to get to within one at 21-20, but TAMU-CC rebounded by tallying the final four points of a 25-20 victory.
TAMU-CC once again jumped out to the lead by notching four of the first five points, but HBU rallied to tie the set, 11-11. The Islanders responded by scoring four in a row and held the margin until 18-14. Two kills by Banks and an ace by Gillard sparked the Huskies to a four-point run to tie the set at 18, but TAMU-CC scored the next two, then led by three at 23-20. Fox and Vann put away kills to pull HBU back within one, but Claire Karsten, who only had five kills for the match, had the final two putaways to clinch the match for the Islanders, 25-22.
The Huskies continue their road trip when they face Incarnate Word Saturday at 11 a.m. in San Antonio.
