Aggie volleyball ends Islanders' run, advances to Round of 32

Heading into the NCAA Championships, the Aggie volleyball team had won 14 consecutive matches. As unlikely as it seemed, their very first opponent possessed a longer winning streak.

Before entering Reed Arena, Texas A&M- Corpus Christi had won 21 straight. Something had to give, right? On Friday night, something did, and it wasn't the Aggies.


Texas A&M (24-6, 16-2 SEC) swept the Islanders (31-5, 16-0 Southland) in a rocky performance to start the postseason. The Aggies took the match, 3-0, but the going wasn't easy against their sister school.

The Aggies looked a little rusty to start the match and struggled to pull away from the Islanders in the first set. Tied at 9, it looked like the teams were destined for a tight match. Three Corpus Christi errors later, the Ags had a lead that would only get bigger.

The Texas A&M lead grew to as many as eight before senior Angela Lowak entered the match for the Maroon and White. Though she had been injured most of the season and hadn't played since September 19th, Lowak put down two kills en route to a first set victory by the Aggies, 25-16.

"I think the team just appreciates her and the leadership and all that she's given when she can't be on the floor," A&M head coach Laurie Corbelli said. "She's been an awesome off-court leader, and has really left a great mark here at Texas A&M volleyball."

Though the Aggies ran away with the first set, the second was a much different story. Corpus Christi jumped out to a quick 7-3 lead. The Aggies managed to tie it up at 15, but the Islanders kept swinging. Down 24-23, Texas A&M needed some late-set heroics.

As it turned out, Ashlie Reasor was happy to provide them. The Aggies faced two set-points, but Reasor answered the bell with a kill each time. When the time came, she gave the Ags the lead with another great swing. One Islander service error later, A&M took set two, 27-25, and a 2-0 lead into the locker room.

"I treat every point like it's the next ball," Reasor said. "I'm not really stressing out too much that it's match-point or set-point or whatever. I just take every ball like it's a normal ball or like we're practicing in the gym."

When the third set rolled around, the Aggies finally got their feet beneath them. Jumping out to a 6-3 lead, Texas A&M never trailed in the third frame. The Aggie lead continued to grow, and at 24-15, an Islander error punched Texas A&M's ticket to the Round of 32.

As it turns out, the Aggies will need to take down another team with a 21-match winning streak if they want to advance again. They'll take on No. 7 Hawaii at 6:30 tomorrow at Reed with a trip to the Sweet Sixteen at stake.