Oct. 9, 2009

Box Score

THIBODAUX - Sophomore outside hitter Rachel Yezak recorded a double-double with 16 kills and 10 digs, freshman middle blocker Jessica Addicks posted a .412 hitting percentage and Amy Whitehead turned in her second straight match with 50-plus assists as the Nicholls State University women's volleyball team (8-10, 2-2 Southland Conference) beat Southland Conference rival Stephen F. Austin (13-9, 2-2 Southland) for the first time under head coach Chris Laird.

"What a great win for our girls and our program tonight. Stephen F. Austin is a great program. They're always very talented and very well coached," Laird said. "I feel our girls earned it. It wasn't just given to us; we earned that win. We came out strong in the first two sets and kept them off balance. The next two sets we knew SFA was tough and weren't going to back down. Hats off to our girls because they did a phenomenal job of building momentum, staying in the match and coming out with the win in the fifth.

Nicholls got off to a fast start in the first as Addicks converted all three of her attacks and senior outside hitter Manieka Golden hit .800 with four kills and no errors on five attempts to spark the Colonel offense.

The Colonels out-hit the Ladyjacks .267 (13-5-50) to .259 (12-5-27) and posted a pair of blocks to keep SFA off balance en route to a 25-18 first set win.

Nicholls built momentum in the second as a 12-4 run to start the frame gave the Colonels a comfortable lead they would not surrender. Golden led the Colonels with four kills and Yezak added three more. Meanwhile, the Colonel defense limited SFA to a -.148 hitting percentage (4-8-27) to take a 25-16 victory and a 2-0 lead.

The Ladyjacks rallied, however, posting a .378 team hitting percentage (18-4-37) in the third. Nicholls stayed with SFA, pulling to within two points at 22-20 and again at 23-21, but the Ladyjacks hung on for the 25-22 third set win.

SFA evened the score in the fourth by hitting .345 (13-3-29) and limiting the Colonels to a .118 hitting percentage (11-7-34) thanks, in part, to three Ladyjack blocks in the fourth. SFA's 25-19 fourth set win forced the fifth and deciding frame.

The Colonels started the fifth set strong as an 8-4 opening run gave Nicholls another comfortable lead. SFA got to within three at 13-10, but Golden's thirteenth and final kill of the night was followed by a Ladyjack attack error to give Nicholls the 15-10 win in the final frame.

The victory returns the Colonels to the .500 mark in conference play and extends the team's winning streak to three matches, Nicholls' longest of the season. It also marked Laird's first win over the traditional conference power in his five-year tenure.

"This is the first time I've been fortunate enough to beat SFA and I know our girls are very excited about that," Laird said. "But, at the same time, we can't rest on that and say that makes the season for us. We have another good team in McNeese State coming in tomorrow, so we're going to have to get ready for them. But, right now, we're really excited to come away with a win tonight."

The Colonels will return to action on Saturday when they host McNeese State in the conclusion of their three-game homestand, their longest of the season.

First serve against the Cowgirls, who will enter the contest with a 14-4 record and a 2-2 Southland mark after beating Southeastern Louisiana on Thursday, is set for 3 p.m. in Stopher Gym. Admission is free for all Nicholls students with a valid ID and all children age five and under.