Match Info

THIBODAUX, La. – One day after returning from a two-match road swing, the Nicholls State University women's volleyball team returns to action with a big week of games beginning on Monday with the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders at 6:30 p.m. in Stopher Gym in Thibodaux.
 
Not only will Monday be a sure test of the team's progress so far, but the Colonels will remain home welcoming the two teams that met in the conference tournament final last year with Oral Roberts on Thursday night and last season's tournament champ Central Arkansas Saturday. The contest against the Sugar Bears on Saturday will also serve as the team's breast cancer awareness match.
 
Although the Colonels dropped both matches over the weekend to Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State, Nicholls fell in five sets to the Ladyjacks and nearly pulled the upset against the Lady Demons on Saturday. Over the course of the last week, the Colonels got eight double-double performances, as six of those came from freshmen Kayla Burling and Kayla Mashburn.
 
For fans unable to make the match, live stats can be accessed through geauxcolonels.com on your desktop, mobile or tablet, as well as live streaming of the match through Colonels All-Access.
 
The Opening Serve
The Nicholls State University women's volleyball team returns home for another quick turnaround as they host the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders on Monday night. Nicholls is welcoming some of the best teams in the Southland this week with Oral Roberts and league-leading Central Arkansas on Thursday and Saturday as well. The Colonels dropped a tough pair of matches, but showed a lot of promise in taking Stephen F. Austin to five sets and Northwestern State to four.
 
Individually, the Colonels got big play out of many players last week, led by Kayla Mashburn who had 58 total kills and averaged 4.46 kills per set. Kayla Burling had an outstanding all-around week with 44 kills for a 3.38 kills per set average with four service aces and 38 digs. Alyse Barclay averaged 5.62 assists per set and had 73 total, while Kalynn Egea had a whopping 73 digs, earning 23 or more digs in all three matches last week for a 5.62 average.
 
The Opposition
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
The Islanders are currently off to their best league start in program history at 7-1, tied for second overall with Sam Houston State. A&M-Corpus Christi leads the Southland with over 13 assists per set, backed by the play of senior Logen Bourque who had 51 on Saturday against Southeastern Louisiana and has five matches with 50 or more this season. Ivy Baresh and Shayla Maldonado provide the attacking and defense for the Islanders, as Baresh is fourth in the league in kills per set at 3.59, while Maldonado came three digs shy of tying the AMCC record for digs in a four-set match.
 
Oral Roberts
ORU in their first season in the Southland last year made it all the way to the tournament championship to set an early tone that the Golden Eagles would be able to contend for championships quickly in their new league home. However, Oral Roberts is coming off of consecutive losses to Northwestern State and Central Arkansas to sit at 5-2 in the league which is good enough for fifth. Jessica Pancratz, a senior, is second in the Southland in hitting percentage with a .331 average, while junior Sarah Pope is seventh in percentage and third in kills per set at 3.60. Defensively, the Golden Eagles are led by senior Bruna Silva, who is second in the league in digs with a 4.98 digs per set average. In their last win, a 3-2 thriller over SFA, head coach Sheera Sirola earned her 200th win.
 
Central Arkansas
Fresh off of their first Southland Conference tournament title and NCAA berth, the Sugar Bears are rolling again in the league, coming into the weekend with an unblemished 7-0 mark in conference and 15-3 overall record. One of their signature wins was over then-No. 20 ranked Kansas to open the year. Right now, UCA boasts the league's top hitter (Paige Gantar), top setter (Marissa Collins) and top server (Heather Schnars).
 
Series Records
Nicholls and AMCC meet for the eighth time in the series, with the Islanders holding a 7-1 advantage in meetings since the school joined the conference. The shortest meeting of the three this week is against ORU, as this will be the fourth meeting between the Colonels and Golden Eagles with ORU leading 3-0. Nicholls has beaten UCA just twice in team history, and has not beaten the Sugar Bears in the last 13 meetings. UCA holds a 14-2 advantage in all-time meetings, as the Colonels have not taken a set off of Central Arkansas in the last seven.