2013 Nicholls Volleyball Schedule

THIBODAUX, La. – First-year Nicholls State University head volleyball coach Tommy Harold announced the Colonels' 2013 schedule today, featuring three tournaments and an 18-match Southland Conference slate that includes nine home matches in Stopher Gym in Thibodaux.

With just four players returning that were on the team last season, Harold and the Colonels will be challenged early at tournaments in New Orleans, Lafayette and Tuscaloosa, before beginning league play in mid-September against a brand new Southland with the additions of Abilene Christian, Houston Baptist, University of the Incarnate Word and New Orleans.

"The schedule we have is challenging, but we get to stay close to home in two of the early tournaments which will give us more opportunities to work with the players and get them ready for conference," Harold said.

The season unofficially kicks off on Aug. 24 when the team will host an Alumni scrimmage in Thibodaux, welcoming back former players to meet the new crop of Colonels as they head into the new year.

After the scrimmage, the team will spend the next three weekends competing in tournament play, at the Kathy Trosclair Tournament hosted by Tulane Aug 30-31, Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic at Louisiana-Lafayette Sept. 6-7 and the Hampton Inn Bama Bash hosted by Alabama Sept. 13-14.

The Colonels will make up for the lack of home matches when the squad opens Southland play on Sept. 19 with reigning regular season champ Sam Houston State in Thibodaux. That match kicks off a string of home contests with eight of their next 12 in Stopher Gym against league competition. Nicholls will close out the season at home on Nov. 16 against McNeese State at 7 p.m.

The Kathy Trosclair Tournament hosted by Tulane will feature tilts against Mississippi Valley State and Rider on Friday, with the marquee matchup set for Saturday night at 7 p.m. against the Green Wave in Devlin Fieldhouse.

That next weekend, Nicholls opens the ULL tournament in the marquee spot on Friday against the Ragin' Cajuns at 7 p.m. at Earl K. Long Gym. On Saturday the Colonels will take on Houston at 10 a.m. and Alcorn State at 3 p.m.

The toughest non-conference tournament of the three will be in Tuscaloosa, as Nicholls will play four games in Alabama against the host Crimson Tide, South Alabama, UT Martin and Arkansas State.

After back-to-back home games against Sam Houston and Lamar, Nicholls will travel to take on two of the four new members of the conference with a swing to San Antonio to take on UIW and Abilene for ACU Sept. 26-28. The Colonels will also hit the road for matches against Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State Oct. 10-12, with their longest swing of the year beginning in late October and running through early November with five games on the road.

Nicholls will get two three-game home stands in the month of October, welcoming the other two newcomers in Houston Baptist on Oct. 1 and New Orleans on Oct. 3, renewing the rivalry with Southeastern Louisiana on Oct. 5 for three matches in five days. It will be the same two weeks later when The Colonels host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Oral Roberts and Central Arkansas Oct. 17, 19 and 26.

The Islanders will host the 2013 Southland Conference tournament Nov. 22-24 in Corpus Christi, as Nicholls will be looking to make the tournament for the second consecutive season after earning the seventh seed last year.