CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Nicholls State University volleyball team was unable to hand Texas A&M-Corpus Christi its first loss in Southland Conference play as the Colonels were defeated 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-23) on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Colonels fall to 8-22 overall and 3-11 in league play, while the Islanders improve to 19-7, 14-0.
 
Nicholls finished with 31 kills at a .186 hitting percentage. Kaci Eaton led the way with 10 kills and Sydney Lerille hit a team-high .385 for five kills. Amari Bellard paced the defense with 13 digs.
 
In the first two sets, the Colonels never led but made runs to keep it close. Eaton delivered an ace to cap a 5-0 run to make the score 13-11 before the Islanders pulled away for the opening victory. In the second, another ace, this time by Kali Schwartz, tied the game at 14. The Islanders answered with a kill and went on to outscore Nicholls the rest of the way, 11-5.
 
In the third, the Colonels went on a 6-0 run to grab a 16-15 lead, forcing a timeout by the Islanders. Nicholls started the spurt with four consecutive kills before a pair of AMCC miscues gave them the lead. A kill by Stephanie Tobison put Nicholls up 21-19, but once again, the Islanders finished strong clinching the match with a two-point win.
 
Nicholls will play its final home match of the season on Tuesday, Nov. 8 as they host the McNeese Cowgirls. First serve at Stopher Gym is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.