THIBODAUX, La. – Things looked bleak in the final home match of the season for the Nicholls State University women's volleyball team, down 2-0, against a tough Southeastern La. squad, but the Red and Grey dominated the final three sets to earn a miraculous 3-2 comeback victory and extend their win-streak to three matches.
 
The Colonels (9-16, 4-11 SLC) came out lackadaisical in the opening two sets, committing a number of unforced errors. Despite less-than-disciplined play, Nicholls kept things close in both sets. The two teams were notched at 20 apiece late in set one, and Nicholls trailed the Lions (12-17, 6-9 SLC) by just one point late in set two. Southeastern La. came on strong over the final few volleys in each frame to earn narrow victories of 25-21 and 25-20.
 
Things went from bad to worse for the Colonels in set three. With the Lions leading 22-13, it seemed Nicholls had little chance to win the set, much less the match. The outcome of the contest seemed so certain that Southeastern La. even substituted multiple reserves into the match.
 
The Colonels, apparently the only people in unaware that the match was out of reach, put together a 12-3 run to take a shocking 27-25 set victory and stun the Lions.
 
While the reported home crowd of 741 was larger than average, Colonel fans were relatively subdued through the first 2 ½ sets. With each point scored during Nicholls' incredible comeback however, the volume of the Colonel faithful grew. By the end of set three, the crowd was in a frenzy, and the Nicholls volleyball team appeared to feed off of that energy throughout the remainder of the match.
 
The Colonels carried their momentum into set four, quickly taking a 10-5 advantage. Nicholls pushed its lead to 24-14, and after a short run by Southeastern La., finished off the set, 25-17. 
 
Just when it looked like the Colonels were at peak performance, the squad found yet another gear in the final set. Nicholls staggered the Lions with a 13-2 run to open the frame. The teams traded points over the final few volleys, but Nicholls finished off a 15-4 set victory to win the match in incredible fashion.
 
Anna Niederhauser blew aware her previous career-high of 17 kills with 25 on the night. Niederhauser also added 12 digs, six blocks and three service aces in the victory. Her 25 kills are the second-highest total for a match in program history. Stephanie Tobison set a career-high with 24 digs on the night, and Emily Weimer totaled a career-high eight blocks to lead the Colonels. Weimer's eight blocks are the third-highest total in Nicholls history. The last time a Colonel earned eight blocks was Nov. 9, 2013, when Mikayla Miller pulled off the feat against Sam Houston. Alyse Barclay, Ainsley Marroccoli and Lucija Barac finished with 20, 13 and 12 assists respectively. Kaci Eaton was second on the team in both digs (16) and kills (nine). The win was a complete team effort, with Kali Schwartz, Sydney Lerille and Alexa Perry each making significant contributions.
 
Mikayla Shippy (36 assists), Monica Ramon (29 digs) and Landry Bullock (14 kills) paced Southeastern La.
 
Nicholls will play its season-finale match on the road against McNeese State at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday in Lake Charles.  
 
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.