Final Stats THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University women's volleyball finished with one more kill than the visiting Lamar Cardinals in their Southland Conference match on Saturday, but after hitting just .069 during the match with 26 errors the Colonels fell to Lamar in straight sets 25-19, 25-22, 25-22 Saturday afternoon in Thibodaux.

Nicholls (3-9, 0-2 SLC) finished with 34 kills to Lamar's (3-11, 1-2) 33, but the Cardinals had a hitting percentage of .163 on the day and committed just 17 attack errors, while the Colonels had 26, including 10 service errors.

Kayla Burling and Kayla Mashburn each finished with nine kills on the day to lead the Colonels, while Marlee Bean came off the bench to serve up 21 assists. Kalynn Egea had 14 digs to lead Nicholls while Burling finished second with 11.

Lamar's Chelsea Grant had 11 kills to lead all players, with a .240 hitting percentage, while Cardinal setter Alexa Johnson finished with 30 assists.

Even through the first set featured four ties and three lead changes, most of that action came in the first eight points. Nicholls held its last lead of the set going up 4-3, but not before Lamar went on a 6-0 run to make it 9-4. The closest the Colonels would get after that was two points throughout the rest of the set, with the last time coming with the score 19-17 before a four-point swing by LU made it 23-17 or enough for them to earn the 25-19 first set.

With the game knotted at 10 in the second set, a seven point run by Lamar put the Cardinals up big and seemed to be cruising to the easy set win. However, the Colonels rallied to cut the deficit, outscoring Lamar 8-3 to pull within two points of the visitors at 20-18. Unfortunately for the Colonels, it would be the closest they would come to striking distance of Lamar eventually falling 25-22.

Nicholls showed a lot more fight in the third, forcing seven ties and four lead changes during the set. After going up 11-8, the Cardinals went on to blow past the Colonels outscoring them 9-2 to go up 17-13, which included a 5-0 run. Down, but not out, Nicholls rallied to tie the set at 19, but a three-point swing by LU made it 22-19. Nicholls again made it close pulling within one point at 23-22, Lamar, but the Cardinals earned the last two points to finish the match.

The Colonels will be back in action next weekend, traveling to face the Incarnate Word Cardinals and Abilene Christian Wildacats.