Privateers Swept at Hands of Islanders

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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The New Orleans Privateers volleyball team (8-7, 0-2) came up on the short side of a close first set and wound up losing 3-0 (25-20, 25-10, 25-14) to the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (14-4, 2-0) on Saturday at the Dugan Wellness Center.
 
The Privateers and Islanders went back and forth to start the match with the score being tied on three different occasions. New Orleans was leading 7-6 when the Islanders launched a 7-1 run to wrestle command of the opening set. The Privateers tried to battle back, cutting the deficit down to three but could not get closer. The Islanders hit .314 in the first set.
 
In the second set, the Islanders quickly seized control, racing to a 4-0 lead before the Privateers earned their first point of the set on a Rondolyn Bryant kill. The Islanders had several spurts within the set and posted 14 kills in 26 swings. The set ended when Hailey King posted the last of three service aces in the set for the Islanders.
 
Both teams started on level terms through the first eight rallies of the third set, but the Islanders delivered a 5-0 run and would not look back from that point. For the match, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi hit .402 and had six blocks to just one for the Privateers. The Islanders also had 19 more kills on the match.
 
New Orleans was led offensively by Blessing Dunn, who recorded six kills. Bryant and Kaitlyn Grice each added five kills while Keke Irby posted four. Lauren Levy again went for double figures in digs with 12 on the afternoon. Samantha Uline and Shaylene Reimer each added eight digs. Celeste Ramirez had 23 assists.
 
The Islanders were led by Brittany Gilpin who had 11 kills in 16 attempts and a .688 attack percentage on the match. Gilpin was also in on three blocks and had two service aces. Morgan Carlson added nine kills and Ivy Baresh put up eight kills along with 10 digs. Kate Klepetka led the team in digs with 11 and Kristyn Nicholson had 37 assists.
 
New Orleans will face a non-conference foe next when they travel to Tulane on Sept. 29. The match is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.
 
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