CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word volleyball team split a pair of matches on Friday at the Emerald Beach Islanders Tournament hosted by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Cardinals lost to Boise State in three sets and defeated Omaha in four sets.
In the first match of the day, the Cardinals (4-9) lost in straight sets to Boise State, 25-21, 25-19, 25-14. After being tied 8-8 early in the first set, the Broncos pulled away and never seemed to look back the rest of the match. The Broncos had 12 more kills than UIW and also out-hit them .297 to .115 in the match.
The Broncos had three players with double-digit kills, Sierra Nobley, Maddy O'Donnell, and Alyssa Gammel. Sara Baugh led the team in assists, dishing out 34, while Hannah Hubbard led the team with 11 digs.
For the Cardinals,
Angelique Vidaurri (San Antonio/Southwest HS) led the team with 11 kills and a .311 attack for the match. Both
Claudia Hernandez (San Antonio/Antonian HS) and
Kaitlyn Brooks (Sugar Land/Fort Bend Austin HS) had 11 digs each and Brooks added 18 assists to lead the team.
In the second match, the Cardinals came away with a hard-fought 25-18, 27-25, 26-28, 25-14 victory. Freshman
Madison Williams (New Braunfels/Canyon HS) had the best performance of her young career. She led the team with 14 kills, four blocks and a .565 attack percentage.
"This tournament we saw some key performances out of several of our freshmen," said UIW head coach Jen Montoya. "
Madison Williams was a big part of our victory over Omaha. She stepped up her game, leading all players in kills and hitting efficiency.
Bryaunea Hall led all players in blocks and had one her best offensive games so far this season."
The second set went back and forth with each team making runs at the other. The Mavs jumped out to an early 5-1 lead, but the Cardinals responded with a 9-3 run to reclaim the lead. From that point on the set was never more than a three-point difference in either direction and there were 15 ties. UIW led 24-21, but the Mavs scored three straight points. Finally, the Cardinals put the set away thanks to a pair of kills by Williams.
It looked like the Cardinals would put the match away in three sets. They jumped out to a 13-6 lead in the third set, but Omaha responded with their own 13-6 run to tie the score at 19-19. The Mavs then went up 24-21, but UIW tied it at 24-24 with three consecutive kills. The teams traded points, but Mavs were able to pull out a 28-26 win.
In the fourth set, the Cardinals jumped out to a big lead again and this time they would not relinquish it. Omaha never got closer than six points after the initial points of the set.
The Cardinals had 57 kills, 66 digs and 7.0 blocks in the match with a .271 attack percentage. In addition to Williams, Vidaurri added 12 kills.
Brittani Dear (LaVernia/LaVernia HS) had nine kills and a team-high 17 digs. Brooks finished with 28 assists and 11 digs and
Taylor McClelland (Cypress/Cypress Ranch HS) added 21 assists and eight digs.
Bryaunea Hall (Copperas Cove/Copperas Cove HS) contributed eight kills and five blocks.
The Mavs had 54 kills, 59 digs and 4.0 blocks with a .205 attack percentage. Megan Schmale led the way with 12 kills and a .385 attack. Michaela Schimmer had a double-double with 10 kills and 16 assists. Kimberly Bailey led all players with 24 digs.
The Cardinals are back in action next Saturday at 2 p.m. against Southland Conference rival Central Arkansas in the home opener at the McDermott Center.
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