Oct. 15, 2008

Box Score

THIBODAUX, La. - For the third-straight home match of the season, Nicholls forced a fifth game, but this time the Colonels came up short, falling 3-2 (25-17, 22-25, 25-20, 17-25, 15-9) to Lamar Wednesday night in Southland Conference volleyball action.

"I'm very proud of our girls tonight," said head coach Chris Laird. "They really competed and you can tell how much of a home team we are. We love our fans and we're very thankful to them for coming out. I couldn't have asked for more from the girls, other than a win. They gave everything they had."

Nicholls (5-11, 2-4 SLC) was led offensively by senior Mallory McInnis (Meraux, La./Chalmette) who posted a match-high 17 kills and, along with senior Chelsey Adams (Gulf Breeze, Fla./Pensacola JC) ended the night with four block assists.

Junior Manieka Golden (Porter, Texas/Galveston) posted her second double-double of the season, tying a season-high with 14 kills and posting a season-best 17 digs.

"I thought Mallory [McInnis] and Manieka [Golden] both did a great job for us tonight on both sides of the ball. "

Junior setter Amy Whitehead (San Antonio, Texas/Douglas MacArthur) dished out 42 assists on the night.

"Amy [Whitehead] did a great job for us tonight as the setter, helping us to stick to our game plan. That allowed us to be successful."

Freshman Danielle Daigle (Napoleonville, La./Assumption) recorded 16 digs for Nicholls in her first match as the Colonel libero. Enjoli Ford (New Orleans, La./McDonough 35) tallied three kills and 11 digs as a right side for Nicholls, while Amy Beshir (Huntsville, Ala./Huntsville) had a season-high nine kills.

"I was really impressed with the way Dani [Daigle] played at libero tonight. Slim [Enjoli Ford] did a great job at right side. She really went all out. And Amy [Beshir] was a force offensively off of the bench. All three of them provided a big boost for us. I'm hoping their confidence just continues to improve."

Lamar (7-8, 5-1 SLC) dominated the first game, using a seven-point scoring run to pull ahead 18-11 and never look back, finishing the set with a 25-17 victory. For the Cardinals, Genevieve Gladle and Shalayne Blythe each posted four kills, with Gladle adding six digs.

McInnis led the Colonels in the first set with four kills, while Daigle had six digs.

In the second set, Nicholls got timely blocks and explosive offensive performances from McInnis (four kills & three block assists) and Golden (four kills & four digs).

Down 22-21, the Colonels rallied, scoring four-straight to serve out the match for a 25-22 win, evening things up.

But the Cardinals fought back, breaking a 6-6 stalemate with back-to-back service aces. From then on, Lamar never let Nicholls within two points of the lead, claiming a 25-20 win.

Golden tallied five kills for Nicholls, hitting .500 in the frame, while three Colonels each had four digs.

Nicholls dominated game four, running the score to 5-0 before the Cardinals got on the board. The Colonels held a 10-point lead through most of the set, forcing a fifth game with a 25-17 victory.

McInnis was the Colonel offensive leader again, recording six kills, while Golden put up another six digs.

Lamar took the match with the deciding game, taking a 2-0 lead and never looking back. Adams had four kills in the set, hitting .800, but the Cardinals hit .350 as a team in the 15-9 victory.

"We need to use this momentum going into the match at Sam Houston this weekend," noted Laird. "Overall I thought tonight was a great performance. Lamar pulled through in the end, which is the sign of a good team. I'm just so proud of the girls and the way they battled back."

The Colonels will travel to Sam Houston State on Saturday before returning to Stopher Gym on Wednesday, Oct. 22 to face Southeastern Louisiana.

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