THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University women's volleyball team put forth their best effort against the undefeated Southland Conference leader, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, but fell, 3-0, on Thursday night in Stopher Gym.
The Colonels (5-14, 0-8 SLC) came out with a ton of energy in the opening set. Nicholls quickly jumped out to an early lead before the Islanders (21-4, 9-0 SLC) notched things up at nine apiece. The Colonels responded with three straight points and held on to a small advantage over the next series of plays. Nicholls led 18-17 late in the set, but Texas A&M-Corpus Christi completely stole the momentum and ran off eight straight points to grab a 25-18 set win.
The Islanders picked up right where the left off in the second set, stunning the Colonels with a 10-1 opening run. Nicholls went on a 5-0 run of their own to pull within four, but couldn't come any closer, falling 25-16.
The Colonels refused to back down in the third, taking a quick 4-2 lead before trading points with TAMCC. Despite the effort, the Islanders were able to pull away late and close out the match with a 25-20 set victory.
Lucija Barac and
Alyse Barclay were the facilitators for the Nicholls offense, combing for 28 assists on the night.
Kaci Eaton earned a team-high eight kills.
Anna Niederhauser and
Kali Schwartz finished with seven and six kills respectively, and each contributed 12 digs to pace the squad. Schwartz and
Sydney Lerille had three blocks apiece, while
Stephanie Tobison registered 11 digs and two service aces on the night.
Kristyn Nicholson (27 assists), Kate Klepetka (23 digs) and Morgan Carlson led Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
The Colonels will host Houston Baptist at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
The Huskies (11-12, 4-5 SLC) are coming off of a 3-0 loss to McNeese on Thursday night. A formidable team in its own right, Houston Baptist ranks second in the Southland Conference in blocks, third in blocks per set, fourth in hitting percentage and fifth in opponent hitting percentage.
Following this weekend's action, the Red and Grey will have a quick turnaround with road matches against Abilene Christian (Monday, Oct. 26 at 6:30 p.m.) and Southeastern La. (Thursday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m.).
Admission to all Nicholls home volleyball games is absolutely free! Come out and support your Colonels!
Visit geauxcolonels.com for live stats, video and the most up-to-date information on Nicholls volleyball.
