2012 Southland Conference Volleyball Tournament Bracket

Southland Tournament Page

THIBODAUX, La. – After a one-year hiatus, the Nicholls State University women's volleyball team will make its return to the conference tournament on Friday morning, taking on No. 2 seed Sam Houston State at 11 a.m. in Conway.

The Colonels are making their tenth appearance in the tournament since joining the league in the early 90's, and looking for that elusive first-ever tournament title after earning a runner-up finish in the 1997 tournament.

Nicholls will take on No. 2 seed Sam Houston State in the opening match of the tournament, as the Bearkats enter the single-elimination tournament 20-10 overall on the year and 15-3 in conference play to earn a share of the regular season title. Sam Houston State is led by 2012 Southland Player of the Year Deveney Wells-Gibson, who averaged 4.07 kills and 3.28 digs per set in her sophomore season. The Bearkats won a school record 13 consecutive matches during the middle of the season and defeated the Colonels in straight sets in both regular season matches this season.

The Colonels are led by second team all-conference selection Jennifer Brandt. Brandt is the sixth Nicholls player since the year 2000 to make either the first or second team list, and is the seventh second team selection and 11th player in team history to earn all-conference honors. The Wallis, Texas native is one of six members of the second team squad with Sam Houston State's Tayler Gray and Kim Black, Stephen F. Austin's Madison Hanlan and Sabrina Burns and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Brooke Alverson.

Ending the season tenth in kills in the conference with an average of 2.94 per set, Brandt leads the team in kills with 306 and points with 336.

Nancy Taylor is averaging 8.10 assists per set this season to lead the team, while defensively Jessica Addicks has 86 blocks and Jeanne Logarbo has 344 digs on the year.

Nicholls' last win in the conference tournament came in 2009, as the seventh seeded Colonels defeated the second seeded Bearkats 3-1 (21-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-22) in the first round. Nicholls fell in the semifinals to Stephen F. Austin on day two of action.

No. 3 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi takes on No. 6 Oral Roberts at 1:30 p.m., while No. 4 Northwestern State takes on No. 5 Stephen F. Austin at 4 p.m. Central Arkansas earned the top overall seed and as the host institution will end the first day of action against No. 8 Southeastern Louisiana at 6:30 p.m. Every match of the tournament will be streamed live on SLC Now, with the championship match televised on the Southland Conference Television Network.