BEAUMONT, Texas - Sitting just a game out of qualifying for the Southland Conference tournament with five games left in the regular season, Lamar University's volleyball team (8-13, 3-8 SLC) has plenty left to fight for in the final month of the 2019 campaign. The Cardinals will have their first chance to move into tourney position Saturday when Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (15-9, 8-3 SLC) comes to town.

Lamar vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi - Saturday, November 2 at 1 p.m. - McDonald Gym

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi was picked to finish fifth in the SLC preseason poll with three first-place votes, the second-most votes for the SLC championship behind reigning champs Stephen F. Austin. The Islanders have more than lived up to that prediction, excelling this season with a 15-9 overall record and an 8-3 SLC mark. Since opening conference play with an 0-3 mark A&M-Corpus Christi has been one of the hottest teams in the nation, winning the its past eight. Those wins include three-set decisions against UIW, New Orleans, and McNeese.

The head coach of the Islanders since the 2016 season, Steve Greene has been a great addition to the program. He won the regular season and tournament championship in 2016 and has accrued a 63-52 record in that time that includes a 43-16 mark against SLC opponents.

Lamar is currently on a 12-game losing streak against the Islanders, though the Cards came within just eight points of snapping that streak last season in a five-set decision.

As a team riding an eight game winning streak, A&M-Corpus Christi understandably ranks near the top of the SLC in almost every statistical category. The Islanders are fourth in hitting percentage, third in assists, sixth in kills, first in service aces, and fifth in digs. Blocks are not a big portion of the A&M-Corpus Christi game though; the Islanders rank 12th in the league in that category.

Rachel Young ranks third in the SLC in attack percentage at .403, and Madison Green is dishing out about 7.93 assists a set, the seventh-best mark in the league. Carissa Barnes is a sniper in the service game with 0.48 aces a set, and Barnes is also a defensive force with 214 digs just in SLC play. She's averaging 5.10 digs a set against SLC opponents, the third-best mark in the league. Chloe Simon is the team's kills leader with 126 against SLC opponents, averaging about 3.00 a set.

The Last Time Out - UIW - Thursday, October 31 at 7 p.m.

Double digit kills from four players and a double-double by Abigale Nash weren't quite enough for Lamar University on Thursday night in a battle of the Redbirds. The Cards fell to the University of the Incarnate Word in four sets on Halloween.

Nash paved the way offensively with 16 kills and 10 digs, her 12th double-double of the year. Malaysia Murdock (13) and Bre'Ala Box (10) reached double digit kills with attack percentages in the .500s, and Dannisha House was right behind with another 11 kills. Kayla Neumann reached eight kills, two aces, and six digs in just two sets played, and Erin Pequeno paced the Cards defensively with 21 digs. Annika Slovak turned in her own double double with 49 assists and 11 digs.

The four-set decision is deceptive of an extremely close game that featured 27 ties and 27 lead changes all told. LU led in each of the four frames, and was competitive throughout the match.

Up Next

The home stand continues with New Orleans (ninth, 4-8 SLC) on Nov. 5 and concludes with Senior Day against Southeastern Louisiana (sixth, 6-5 SLC) on Nov. 9. Road matches at Stephen F. Austin (first, 11-0 SLC) and Abilene Christian (11th, 3-8 SLC) will close the regular season.