THIBODAUX - The Nicholls State University women's volleyball team (13-10, 5-5 Southland Conference) will look for a season sweep of league rival Lamar (9-12, 5-5 Southland Conference) in the opener of a four-match road swing on Thursday.

The Colonels enter the contest in a three-way tie for fourth place with the Cardinals and Sam Houston State.  A win over Lamar, combined with a Sept. 23 victory over the Cardinals, would give Nicholls their second season sweep of a conference foe this season and clinch a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Cardinals in the conference standings.

A win over the Cardinals would help the Colonels solidify their place in a crowded Southland Conference Tournament race.  With six matches left in the conference season, the fourth through 11th place teams in the league are separated by just 3.0 matches.

Nicholls will look to repeat the success that the Colonels found against Lamar on Sept. 23 when Nicholls limited the Cardinals to a .143 hitting percentage en route to a 3-2 come-from-behind win.

The Colonels are led by one of the top defenses in the nation.  Nicholls begins the weekend ranked 28th in the nation in dig/set average with a 16.94 team average.  Junior libero Danielle Daigle leads the way with a 5.68 dig/set average that ranks first in the conference and sixth nationally.

First serve is set for 7 p.m. at Lamar.  Following the contest, the Colonels will head to McNeese State for a Saturday match against the Cowgirls.

NOTES

Nicholls, which has already matched its 2009 overall win total, will equal its 2009 conference win total with its next win.

With their next win, the Colonels will surpass their 2009 overall win total and clinch their best season since a 19-14 season in 2002.