THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls women's volleyball team takes its two-match winning streak on the road this weekend, traveling to face the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks and Northwestern State Lady Demons this Thursday and Saturday.
 
The Colonels will have little time to dwell on their recent success as the Colonels only have one day to prepare before hitting to road to take on SFA Thursday night in Shelton Gym and then making the jaunt across the state line into Natchitoches for an afternoon tilt against Northwestern State in Prather Coliseum.
 
Although the team had to wait a few days to get back on the court, Nicholls powered through a tough match against the Southeastern Louisiana Lady Lions on Tuesday night backed by three double-doubles to earn its second consecutive win at home. The win over New Orleans last Thursday helped the squad snap a six-match losing skid and coupled with the thrilling win at home last night gives the Colonels some confidence heading into a tough pair of matches.
 
There will be a little bit of déjà-vu, as the team will turn right back around next week hosting three of the top teams in the league in five days next Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Oral Roberts and Central Arkansas.
 
The Opening Serve
The Nicholls women's volleyball team did not let a postponed match stop them from earning its second conference win of the season on Tuesday night, defeating Southeastern Louisiana in four sets. The Colonels have won back-to-back matches for the first time all season after defeating New Orleans last Thursday and the Lady Lions on Tuesday night, moving to 2-5 in league play. The win put the Colonels back in the mix in the Southland, just a half-game out of being in a tie for eighth place with HBU, Lamar and UIW.
 
The freshman attacking tandem of Kayla Burling and Kayla Mashburn are 1-2 for the Colonels in kills and are among the league leaders in kills per set so far this season. Burling is currently seventh in the league in kills per set with a 3.31 average while Mashburn is 14th. The duo account for all ten of the top kill performances for the team this season, while Mashburn ranks 36th nationally and third in the league in aces per set with a 0.41 average.
 
Another two-headed monster on the court comes in the form of setters Alyse Barclay and Marlee Bean. Although their cumulative stats say they average over four assists per set, the two have combined for 393 and help to have a team average of 10.68. Bean had her first double-double of the season on Tuesday against SLU, while Barclay had her fourth 20-plus assist match.
 
Junior defensive specialist Kalynn Egea is currently ninth in the Southland in digs averaging nearly four per set. In league play however, she is seventh averaging nearly five per set, with 13 double-digit dig matches and three 20-dig matches after her season-high 23 against Southeastern La.
 
The Opposition
Stephen F. Austin
The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks come into the match with a 2-3 league record after dropping matches to Northwestern State, Oral Roberts and Central Arkansas. At 10-8 on the season, the Ladyjacks are 3-0 at home in Nacogdoches, and boasts the fourth best blocking team in the conference with nearly two per set. OJ Olson leads SFA with 4.97 digs per set which is third in the league, while Justice Walker has a .321 hitting percentage which is fourth.
 
Northwestern State
The Northwestern State program has been on the rise the last few seasons under the Hernesman's, as the Lady Demons enter the weekend as one of the top teams in the league with a 4-1 league mark. Although they rank in the middle of the pack in a handful of categories in the Southland, Northwestern State does boast one of the top defensive players in Keelie Arneson, who's 5.13 digs per set, is tops in the league and 22nd in the nation.
 
Series Records
The Colonels are 6-43 against the Ladyjacks all-time, having dropped the last three consecutive matches against SFA. In the two meetings last year, Nicholls took a set off SFA at home and took the Ladyjacks to five sets at home in the next meeting, as the Colonels are 1-25 in matches in Texas. Nicholls has fared much better against the Lady Demons with a 32-28 overall record, but recently Northwestern State has had the edge winning the last four. The Colonels are hoping for their first win over the Lady Demons since the 2011 season.