Islanders Crowned Southland Beach Volleyball Champions
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HOUSTON – The script couldn’t have been written any better as the packed crowd surrounded court three to witness Kiley Lewis and Migle Mazurkeviciute win a three-set thriller to claim the 2022 Southland Beach Volleyball Tournament title for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Islanders topped HBU by a final score of 3-2 on Sunday at Third Coast Volleyball Club.
After dropping a tight first set 21-19, the Islander duo dominated the second frame 21-13 and raced out to a 10-4 advantage in the final set. Lewis and Mazurkeviciute held off their HBU counterparts 15-12.
The Huskies’ Shelby O’Neal and Gabi Axelrod opened the scoring with a straight-set victory at the No. 5 position, 21-17, 21-15. The Islanders closed out the opening session of the championship dual with a point on court four, as Shea Slusser and Kela Moreno erased a 20-16 deficit in the second set to take the match 21-11, 23-21.
The squads also split on the top two courts with Southland Pair of the Tournament Giuliana Poletti Corrales and Brooke Pertuit winning 21-16, 21-12, and the Huskies’ Alison Stanfill and Abbey Reinard sweeping their opponents 21-16, 21-16.
The Islanders receive the Southland’s automatic qualifier to the 2022 NCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament, set to take place May 6-8 in Gulf Shores, Ala. The bracket will be announced Saturday, April 30.