THIBODAUX - After winning their Southland Conference opener last Friday night and tying the best 11-match start to the season in school history, the Nicholls State University women's volleyball (8-5, 1-0 Southland Conference) will try to stay perfect in conference play when the Colonels welcome Southland rivals Lamar and McNeese State to Stopher Gym starting this Thursday.

First up for the Colonels will be Lamar.  The Thursday night match will feature a pair of teams undefeated in conference play and is set for a 7 p.m. first serve.  Both Nicholls and the Cardinals enter the contest with identical 1-0 conference marks and locked in a three-way tie with Central Arkansas for first place in the Southland Conference East Division.

Both Nicholls and Lamar boast some of the top defenses in the the Southland.  The Cardinals rank fourth in the league, limiting opponents to a .182 hitting percentage.  However, Nicholls is tied for second in the league with a .167 hitting percentage and is leading the Southland with a 16.98 dig/set average.

The Colonels are led by junior libero Danielle Daigle who begins the weekend ranked first in the nation with a 6.02 dig/set average.  The Napoleonville, La. native has won two of the first four Southland Conference player of the week awards.

Offensively, Nicholls is led by sophomore middle blocker Jessica Addicks, who ranks ninth in the conference with a .276 hitting percentage, and sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Brandt, who ranks sixth in the league with a 3.05 kill per set average.

After Thursday's match with the Cardinals, the Colonels will host Southland Conference East Division rival McNeese State on Saturday for a 2 p.m. first serve in Stopher Gym in the conclusion of an eight match homestand.