THIBODAUX, La. – Playing their first home match in 330 days, the Nicholls State University women's volleyball team came out on fire in front of a raucous crowd of 682 on Tuesday night. The Colonels were dominant in the opening set, but New Orleans responded in a major way, stunning Nicholls by winning the next three to run away with a 3-1 victory in Stopher Gym.
 
The Colonels (5-12, 0-5 SLC) remain winless in Southland Conference play after losing to the Privateers (8-9, 1-3 SLC) for the first time since Sept. 17, 2008.
 
Nicholls opened the night playing some of their best ball of the season. The Colonels stormed out to an 8-1 lead, forcing New Orleans to call a quick timeout. The Privateers responded out of the stoppage, cutting the Nicholls advantage to three, but the Colonels punched back with another strong run. Nicholls saw its advantage balloon to as many as 10, before ultimately taking the set, 25-18.
 
New Orleans came out with a vengeance in the second, scoring the first three points and overwhelming the Colonels with a 25-12 set win. The Privateers were equally powerful in the third, cruising to a 25-14 set victory that was never in doubt.
 
Nicholls came out swinging in the fourth set, desperate to extend the contest, but New Orleans matched the Colonels blow-for-blow. With the teams tied, 16-16, the Privateers went on a 9-4 run over the final stretch to seal the match.
 
Kaci Eaton and Alyse Barclay led Nicholls offensively with 17 kills and 36 assists respectively. Sydney Lerille had a team-high three service aces. Stephanie Tobison put together one of her strongest defensive efforts of the year, totaling 21 digs in the loss. Anna Niederhauser had another all-around performance, registering 13 digs and 12 kills on the night. Kali Schwartz finished with four blocks.
 
Celeste Ramirez (41 assists), Lauren Levy (24 digs), Blessing Dunn (16 kills) and Keke Irby (four blocks) led New Orleans.
 
The Colonels will host Central Arkansas on Saturday, Oct. 10 at noon.
 
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.