THIBODAUX, La -  There will be a Family Day two-step this weekend, as before the football game against Central Arkansas, the Nicholls State women's volleyball team will take on the Sam Houston State Bearkats at 11 a.m. Saturday morning in a huge Southland Conference tilt.

The team (15-6 overall, 2-3 in SLC) is coming off a mid-week 3-1 road victory over Southeastern on Tuesday, breaking a three-game losing streak for the first time all season. The Colonels are 2-1 on the road this year in the Southland, and look to win their first home conference match of the year on Saturday.

The Bearkats come into the match at 10-9 on the year and 4-2 in conference play, recently defeating Stephen F. Austin 3-1, earning their fifth win over the Lumberjacks in the last six tries. At home SHSU is a perfect 7-0, but on the road they've only won twice in six matches, and are .500 in their last ten.

Nicholls will have to deal with a team that is third in the league in opponent hitting percentage at .142 and is behind the Colonels in blocks averaging 2.17 per set to go along with having the most digs in conference so far with 454. But the Bearkats are tenth in hitting percentage, assists and ninth in kills with only 11.69 per set. The duo of Jessica Addicks and Sarah Terry, both sixth in the conference averaging over a block per set, can help force Bearkats into errors and an overall low hitting percentage on the night.

Terry still has the best overall hitting percentage in the Southland, hitting a .351 clip throughout the season, and is ninth since conference started continuing to hit over .300 during the matches so far. Rachel Yezak is also tenth in digs in the conference, as the right side hitter is averaging close to four digs per set.

Although it's still somewhat early, it will prove to be a huge match in the long run as the Colonels are still in the thick of the conference race. At 2-3, the Colonels are in one of the eight spots to make an unprecedented third-straight conference tournament bid, and a win at home would be welcome as the team is slated to hit the road next week against Texas A&M Corpus-Christi and league-leading UT-San Antonio.