2010 Nicholls Invitational Presented by Thibodaux Regional Medical Center

THIBODAUX - After opening the season with seven consecutive matches away from home, the Nicholls State University women's volleyball team returns to Thibodaux to open an eight match homestand, starting with the 2010 Nicholls Invitational Presented by Thibodaux Regional Medical Center this Friday and Saturday.

The Colonels will host Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Southern and South Alabama over the weekend as Stopher Gym will be the site of six matches in two days.  The tournament begins on Friday with a 4 p.m. first serve between Southern and UAPB.  The Colonels will follow with a 7 p.m. first serve against South Alabama. 

The action will resume on Saturday with four matches, beginning with South Alabama taking on Southern at 10 a.m.  Nicholls will take the court at noon to take on Arkansas-Pine Bluff.  The Golden Lions return to the court for a 2 p.m. first serve against South Alabama, and the Colonels conclude the tournament with a 4 p.m. match against Southern.

Nicholls heads into the tournament having gone 4-3 in their first seven matches, all of which took place away from Thibodaux.  The Colonels have won four of their last five matches, including a win over South Alabama at the Southern Miss Invitational during the season's opening weekend on Aug. 28. The win over the Jaguars began a three-game winning streak that included wins over Houston Baptist and Jackson State.  After a 3-1 loss to UL-Lafayette in the finale of the Ragin' Cajun Invitational last Sunday, the Colonels rebounded with a straight-set victory at Southern on Tuesday.

Nicholls has been led by one of the best defensive units in the league.  The Colonels enter the weekend ranked first in the Southland Conference with a 16.12 dig/set average (403 digs/25 sets), and junior libero Danielle Daigle owns a league best 5.48 dig/set average (137 digs/25 sets).

The Nicholls Invitational marks a stretch of eight consecutive home matches for the Colonels and will be followed by the the 2010 Nicholls Challenge Presented by Thibodaux Regional Medical Center next Friday (Sept. 17) and Saturday (Sept. 18).  Nicholls will welcome Southeastern Louisiana, Houston and Louisiana Tech to Stopher Gym.  The pair of home court tournaments are followed by home matches against Lamar (Sept. 23) and McNeese State (Sept. 25) before embarking on the road again.