Final Stats Nicholls-TAMUCC Box Score

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – After winning the first set convincingly, the Nicholls women's volleyball team came within points of going up 2-0 in a crucial conference road match. But a lead lost in the final points of the second set changed the dynamic of the match, and eventually the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders defeated the Colonels 3-2 Thursday night.

The loss drops the Colonels to 15-8 and 2-5 in the Southland Conference, while TAMUCC improves to 10-13 and 2-5 in conference play.

The Colonels got solid production all around including 16 kills from Kathryn Stock and career and season-high 28 digs from Jennifer Brandt. Stock earned her fifth double-double of the year with 15 digs to her stat line, while Brandt earned her fifth as well with 11 kills on top of her dig total. Carley McInnis finished with her season-high 27 digs, while Nancy Taylor added 38 assists. However, Nicholls gave up 70 kills to the lowest hitting team in the conference as neither team hit above .200 in the match.

Like most of the entire match, each point was closely contested in the deciding set, with each team trading the first eight points, then the next four as the Colonels would go up two, before the Islanders got two back and tied the score at 6-6. That lead was extended when TAMUCC scored two more to go up 8-6 having scored four straight at that point. A Nicholls timeout helped get the score tied again at 8-8 after two from the Colonels, but two more by the Islanders put them up 10-8. After making the score 10-9, the Islanders fired off the last five points in a row to win the set 15-9 and the match 5-2

In the first set the Colonels and Islanders traded points for the first ten points putting the set at 5-5, each time having the Colonels take the lead, then immediately releasing it. But after scoring five of the next nine points to retain the one point lead at 10-9, the Colonels rattled off six straight to take a commanding 16-9 lead, holding TAMUCC to only six more points in the set, winning 25-15.

Down 5-3 to begin the second set, the team scored four straight to take a 7-5 lead, and after splitting the next four points, the Islanders went on a run of their own, scoring four straight to take an 11-9 lead. A two-point burst by TAMUCC was enough to maintain a somewhat-safe lead for most of the set, until the Colonels tied the match at 20-20. After a two-point run to get to 22-20, the Islanders would limit the Colonels to only two more points, including match point, before winning the set 26-24.

After what must have felt like a short intermission, the Colonels came out firing in the third set, taking a five-point lead early, but that lead quickly evaporated as the team allowed the Islanders to tie the game at 8-8, getting only three more points after getting to five. After a four-point run by the Islanders to take a 9-8 lead, it became a game of who could sustain the longest point streak, with Nicholls taking three back to take the lead 11-9, before giving up five-straight to go down 14-11. The Colonels would stay within one of TAMUCC, until another three-point stretch by the Islanders dropped Nicholls four back, that a late rally toward the end wasn't enough to take the Islanders as they won the set 25-21.

Leading 3-1 in fourth set, the Islanders got three to take a 4-3 lead before the Colonels took four of the next five points to take an 8-5 lead. Things continued to stall out for Nicholls after those types of runs, as TAMUCC earned two back-to-back point opportunities among regular side-outs to begin to keep each team within one point of each other for the next several points. Down by two, the Colonels exploded for seven unanswered points to take a 22-17 lead. Although it looked as if the Colonels would lose another lead, the team held on to take it to a fifth set 25-23.

The Colonels now head to San Antonio to face the Roadrunners of UTSA who defeated Southeastern in straight-sets, with first serve set for 2 p.m. on Saturday.