ITTA BENA, Miss.  – The Nicholls State University women's volleyball team put an end to an 11-match losing streak with a dominating 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-7) victory over Mississippi Valley State University on Tuesday night.
 
Kali Schwartz was the lone Colonel to reach double figures in kills, finishing with 10, while Kaitlyn Coffey hit .286 on the night for eight kills. Emily Venable dished out 11 assists, and Jade Piper and Lucija Barac handed out 10 each.
 
The opening match was closely contested with 15 ties and six lead changes. The Colonels found themselves down 17-14 before Kaci Eaton ripped off three straight kills to tie the game. Nicholls went up 19-18 before grabbing the lead for good at 23-22. Emily Weimer closed out the set with a kill, giving Nicholls the early 1-0 lead.
 
In the second set, an early 4-0 spurt put the Red and Gray on top and they never gave up the lead. Nicholls saw its lead extend to as much as eight on two separate occasions, with the last coming on a kill by Coffey for a 23-15 advantage.
 
The final set saw the Colonels quickly build a 12-4 lead. Aided by three kills from Coffey, Nicholls scored the next seven points to go up 19-4. Nicholls finished the set with an outstanding .429 hitting percentage to complete the shutout.
 
Alexa Perry tallied a team-high 14 digs and Amari Bellard added 10, helping hold MVSU (2-13) to a  -.017 hitting percentage for the match.
 
Nicholls will return home for its next contest, taking on Abilene Christian on Saturday, Oct. 8 at Stopher Gym. First serve is scheduled for 12 p.m.