Tournament Info

THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University women's volleyball team closes out non-conference tournament play this weekend as the Colonels travel to the heart of SEC country to participate in the Hampton Inn Bama Bash hosted by the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
 
The Colonels will play four games over two days beginning tomorrow morning at 11:30 a.m. against the host Crimson Tide, playing the Jaguars later on Friday afternoon at 4:30. On Saturday, the Colonels will close out tournament play with matches against the Skyhawks at 9 a.m. and the Red Wolves at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
 
Live stats will be available for all of the matches, with live video available for the match against Alabama Friday morning.
 
The Colonels will open their home schedule next weekend, beginning Southland Conference play against Sam Houston State and Lamar.
 
The Opening Serve
The Nicholls State University women's volleyball team closes out non-conference play this weekend as the team travels to Alabama to participate in the Hampton Inn Bama Bash against the Crimson Tide, South Alabama, UT Martin and Arkansas State. The Colonels went 1-2 last week in the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic, falling to Louisiana-Lafayette and Houston while defeating Alcorn State in straight-sets. Kali Schwartz had a solid weekend with 28 kills to lead the team, while Kalynn Egea was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 3.60 digs per set.
 
The Opposition
Alabama
The Crimson Tide is 4-2 on the season after winning their last two matches at the FIU Classic in Miami over the weekend. Alabama has five players with at least 30 kills already on the season with Laura Steiner leading the way with 76. Setter Sierra Wilson has 213 assists for a 10.65 assist per set average, while Caitlin Bernardin averages 3.09 digs per set.
 
South Alabama
The Jaguars have lost four straight since winning their first two matches of the season. In those last four, South Alabama has either been swept or won just one set, while sweeping the opener and winning the second in four sets. The Jaguars are led by Jessica Lewis and her 4.36 kills per set average.
 
UT Martin
Backed by Emily Keaton's 102 kills already, the UT Martin Skyhawks come into the weekend with the best record at 6-2. UTM is hitting .203 as a team, averaging 13.34 assists per set and 17.09 digs per set. One of their losses was to Tennessee in four sets.
 
Arkansas State
The Red Wolves have played some stiff competition already this season, as their 1-6 record is a by-product of matches against Pitt, Mizzou, and Ole Miss. Sadie Clark has been the lone bright spot with 85 kills.
 
Series Records
Nicholls is meeting Alabama on the court for the first time since 2008, and has yet to take a set off the Crimson Tide in any of the five meetings. It's the same for ASU in this is the first meeting since 2002 for the two teams. Nicholls played both UTM and South Alabama last year, sweeping the Skyhawks while falling to the Jaguars in three.