LAKE CHARLES—McNeese junior libero Bailey Tillman tied her career high with 32 digs Thursday night in a 3-1 (24-26, 25-21, 25-22, 25-23) Southland Conference loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in a battle between two of the league's Top 3 teams.
 
In a match that consisted of 27 ties and 12 lead changes, the Cowgirls (9-14, 7-3 SLC) held off the Islanders (14-8, 9-1 SLC) to take an early 1-0 lead with the first set win.
 
The next three sets could have gone either way, but it was the Islanders who took advantage of their opportunities to win the next three sets and their second win over the Cowgirls this season.
 
McNeese will travel to New Orleans on Saturday for a 1 p.m. match.  The Cowgirls will look for its second win over the Privateers this season after a straight set win in Lake Charles on Sept. 23.
 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1
• The set consisted of 16 ties beginning early in the set at 1-1
• With McNeese trailing 11-9, Kendall Osgood served for four straight points to put the Cowgirls up 13-11
• The Islanders responded with two points to even the set at 13
• Tied at 18, TAMU-CC went on a 4-1 run to lead 22-19
•  McNeese scored the three points to tie the set at 22 all
• Tied at 24, Carissa Chainey put the Cowgirls up 25-24 on a kill then an Islander error gave McNeese the opening set.   
 
Set 2
• The Islanders took the early lead and held as much as a 17-12 lead
• McNeese scored four straight points to pull to within one point (17-16), but TAMU-CC went on an 8-5 run to pick up the second set win to even the match at one set apiece.
 
Set 3
• The Islanders opened the set on a 6-1 run then held a 17-10 lead
• McNeese made a mini run and got within four on a Kayla Wilson kill then kills by Tshilanda Diouf and Carissa Chainey pulled the Cowgirls to within two points at 24-22 before Morgan Baeses kill ended the set for a 2-1 Islander lead.
 
Set 4
•TAMU-CC took an early 10-5 lead before five straight points off Chainey's serve tied the set at 10 apiece
• The set would tie up three more times before the Cowgirls took its first lead (15-13) of the set.
• With McNeese leading 16-14, TAMU-CC scored four straight point to regain the lead at 18-16
• After five more ties and the last being at 23, TAMU-CC's Leah Stolfus put the Islanders up 24-23.
• The Islanders won the set and the match on a McNeese violation
 
MATCH NOTES
• The match consisted of 27 ties and 12 lead changes
• McNeese had four players with 10 or more kills
• Carissa Chainey led the Cowgirls with 15 kills and added 10 digs for her seventh double double of the season
• Sanni Rantanen, McKenzie Moore and Kayla Wilson all had 12 kills apiece
• Bailey Tillman tied her career high with 32 digs to lead all players
• Kendall Osgood came up with some huge digs as well and ended the match with 13 digs
• McNeese was credited with 16 blocks with McKenzie Moore leading the way with five
• Tshilanda Diouf had four blocks and Kayla Wilson had three.
• Cowgirl starting setter Megan Grose suffered an injury in the second set and didn't return to the match. Grose left the match with 18 assists.
• Reserve setter Emma Hendricks replaced Grose and ended the match with 27 assists  
• TAMU-CC had a trio of players with double figure kills. Kendal Payne led the way with 17 along with 13 digs.