Flour Bluff's Strand signs to play tennis for Hoosiers

From staff and correspondent reports

Reid Strand, Flour Bluff High School senior Reid Strand signed a national letter of intent to play tennis at the Indiana University.
   Strand received a combined athletic and academic scholarship to play for the Big Ten school.
   Strand currently is nationally ranked in the USTA Boys 18s. He has been ranked nationally since age 13. At one point in his career, he was ranked as high as No. 2 in the state in USTA Boys 16s
   Strand has been a Texas Sectionals runner-up and the winner of a Texas Open Championship. For the past three years, he has helped lead the Hornets to the District 31-4A Team championships each year.
   The 1999 Coastal Bend Youth Sports Network Tennis Athlete of the Year, Strand is undefeated in singles and doubles in District 31-4A matches for three consecutive years. He earned boys district MVP in Team Tennis two consecutive years. Strand also won the district singles title the last two springs.
   A member of the National Honor Society, Strand also is ranked No. 34 out of 357 with a 4.57 grade-point average.
   Ex-Calallen star earns weekly SFL defensive honor
   Former Calallen standout C.J. Carroll has been named the Southland Football League's Defensive Player of the Week. Carroll, a senior defensive back for Southwest Texas State, recorded 11 tackles - nine unassisted - against Stephen F. Austin on Saturday.
   Included in Carroll's totals was a quarterback sack, the 28th of his career, making him the sack leader in the school's history. Carroll is also a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top defensive player in Division I-AA.
   Included in Carroll's totals was a quarterback sack, the 28th of his career, making him the sack leader in the school's history. Carroll is also a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top defensive player in Division I-AA.
   UIW saddles A&M-CC with 5th straight loss
   SAN ANTONIO - The University of the Incarnate Word handed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's volleyball team its fifth-consecutive loss, 15-7, 15-13, 13-15, 15-7, Tuesday night.
   The Crusaders (21-15) avenged a five-set setback at the hands of the Islanders on Sept. 26 in Corpus Christi.
   Keelie Rader notched a match-best 20 kills while Heather Fife added 19 for the Crusaders.
   Trailing in the third, 13-2, the Islanders reeled off 13 consecutive points to force a fourth game.
   A&M-Corpus Christi was paced by former Rockport-Fulton standout Laney Bardin and Marcille Cox. Bardin, a freshman, tallied a career-best 18 kills, nine digs and five blocks, while Cox added 14 kills and 14 digs in the loss.
   The defeat also overshadowed by the showing of junior Cassiana Costa, who had 54 assists and a school-record 25 digs.
   The Islanders (8-22) will conclude their inaugural season, next Tuesday afternoon as they travel to Edinburg to participate in a tri-match against Texas-Pan American and Tulsa.
   Taft cross country runner to sign with Javelinas
   KINGSVILLE - Taft High School's D.J. Castro is scheduled to sign a national letter of intent to run cross country and track at Texas A&M-Kingsville, Greyhounds coach Roy De La Pena said Tuesday night.
   Castro won the boys District 30-3A meet this season and placed fifth at the Region IV-3A meet in San Antonio. He placed 37th at last week's state meet in Round Rock.