THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University women's volleyball team dropped their first set before storming back and taking a 3-1 victory over Lamar University on Saturday in Stopher Gymnasium.
 
The Colonels (6-11, 2-2 SLC) lost a back-and-forth opening set 26-24. The Cardinals (1-14, 1-2 SLC) took an 18-14 lead in the second set before Nicholls stormed back to take a 25-22 victory. As the Colonels gained momentum, frustration rose on the Lamar bench.
 
After Nicholls won a tense third set 30-28, Cardinal Head Coach Alan Edwards slammed a loose volleyball into the court and stormed out of the gym. (Edwards returned before the start of the fourth set).
 
The Colonels took an 18-9 lead in the fourth and looked to be pulling away, but Lamar battled back to a 21-21 tie. Nicholls regrouped and ultimately took the set 25-22 to win the match.
 
Kaci Eaton led a balanced Colonel offense with 16 kills. Kali Schwartz added 15 kills while Stephanie Tobison notched 12. Ainsley Marroccoli had a team-high 29 assists and Alyse Barclay added 17. Kalynn Egea led the team with 23 digs while Tobison added 17 and Eaton and Marroccoli each contributed 14. Emily Weimer had a team-leading five blocks while Schwartz added four.
 
Autumn Taylor led the Cardinals offensively with 19 kills while Ashley Ellis had all 48 Lamar assists on the day. Erika Rojas had a team-high 17 digs and Lauren Stahlman had five service aces.
 
With the win, the Colonels match their Southland Conference win total from last season and have 12 conference matches remaining.
 
The Colonels will take on the University of New Orleans at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Human Performance Center.
 
Visit geauxcolonels.com to find live stats and the most up-to-date information on Nicholls women's volleyball.