CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – The University of the Incarnate Word volleyball team won another five-set thriller over Texas A&M–Corpus Christi (TAMCC) on Saturday afternoon at the Dugan Wellness Center. The win gave the Cardinals their tenth Southland Conference victory of the season — the most in UIW's Division I program history.
Set 1: UIW 19, TAMCC 25
The opening set was controlled by the Islanders throughout. TAMUCC led by as many as 10 points before the Cardinals mounted a late comeback, pulling within five before the Islanders closed out the frame. Kyla Malone led all players with six kills in the opening set.
Set 2: UIW 25, TAMCC 18
The Cardinals came out firing, jumping to a 7-3 lead early in the second set. After the Islanders tied things up at 17-all, UIW responded with a dominant 7-0 run to reach set point. An Islander service error sealed the frame to even the match at one set apiece. Kitana Tu'ufuli led all players with five kills in the set.
Set 3: UIW 25, TAMCC 22
Neither team led by more than three points in a tightly contested third frame. After UIW took a 12-9 lead, the Islanders rallied to tie it at 19-19, but the Cardinals closed strong — capped by a Malone kill to give UIW a 2-1 match advantage. Vanessa Eregie paced all players with five kills in the set.
Set 4: UIW 22, TAMCC 25
The fourth set mirrored the intensity of the previous frame. TAMCC built a 15-10 lead before UIW stormed back to tie it at 19-all. However, the Islanders responded late to force a decisive fifth set.
Set 5: UIW 15, TAMCC 9
The Cardinals never trailed in the final frame, building an early cushion and leading by as many as six points before Malone sealed the match with her 17th kill.
UIW had three players finish with double-digit kills for the third straight match. Malone and Eregie led the way with 17 kills each, while Tu'ufuli added 11. Setter Calissa Allison recorded her 19th double-double of the season with 46 assists and 19 digs. Ashton Rogers anchored the defense with 27 digs, and Eregie led the team at the net with four blocks.
UIW closes out the regular season with a home-and-home series against Houston Christian University (HCU) this week. The Cardinals host the Huskies on Wednesday night at the McDermott Center before traveling to Houston for the regular season finale on Saturday afternoon.
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