Final Stats 1 | Final Stats 2 EL PASO, Texas - The Nicholls State University women's volleyball team earned its first victory of 2011 in dominating fashion with a straight set victory (25-15, 25-16, 25-9)over Southern University before falling to host University of Texas-El Paso, 3-0 (16-25, 15-25, 23-25), in the final day of the El Paso Sports Commission Volleyball Invitational on Saturday.

Nicholls (1-2) registered 36 kills in the win over Southern (0-3), led by five different players with at least five. Senior Rachel Yezak and junior Kathryn Stock had a match-high eight each while junior Jennifer Brandt tacked on seven. The Colonels finished the match with a .266 hitting percentage, including a .375 clip in the second set.

In the opening game, the Colonels used a 4-0 spurt capped on an ace by Yezak to take a 13-8 lead. Still leading by five at 16-11, Nicholls put the game out of reach with a 6-0 run before Yezak clinched the set with a kill, giving the Colonels a 25-15 victory.

For the final two sets, Nicholls led from the start and never relinquished the lead as they took the match 3-0. The Colonels tallied 13 kills versus only one hitting error in the second set to cruise by the Lady Jaguars, 25-16. In the final set, Nicholls raced out to 10-2 lead and were up as much as 17 as they clinched the match with a 25-9 win in game three.

Against UTEP (3-0), the Miners stifled the Nicholls offense at the net by batting down 12 attacks in the match. Following two decisive losses in the first sets, the Colonels threatened late in the third game, scoring four consecutive points to bring the score 24-23. However, after an attack error by Nicholls, the Miners would avoid extra points to complete the sweep to stay undefeated.

Yezak paced the way for the Colonels with seven kills, junior Jasmine Harris added six and Brandt finished with five and a team-high 14 digs. Stock chipped in with 12 digs while junior Nancy Harris matched her performance against Southern with 16 assists.

The Colonels will wrap up the weekend on Sunday with a matchup against New Mexico State in Las Cruces. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.