DENTON, Texas – The Nicholls State University volleyball team split two matches Saturday to conclude the North Texas Invitational at the NT Volleyball Center.
The Colonels (1-3) opened the day with a four-set victory over Grambling and fell in five sets to Northeastern in the finale.
During the tournament, freshman
Katie Jones fronted Nicholls offensively with 50 kills (3.3 k/s). Senior
Brieanna Hill followed with 36 and an efficient .329 hitting percentage. Freshman
Aaliyah Burras shined defensively with 10 blocks.
Nicholls 3, Grambling 1
Behind 17 kills from Hill and double-doubles from junior
Heidi Carpenter (10 kills, 11 digs) and senior
Jade Piper (44 assists, 12 digs), head coach
Jay Van Vark picked up his first win as the leader of the Nicholls volleyball program.
Set 1: 25-17 Nicholls
The Colonels took control early in the opening set. Trailing 3-2, two kills from Hill paved the way during a 5-0 run for a lead that was never relinquished. Piper spread out the attack as five different student-athletes recorded at least three kills, fronted by Jones' four.
Set 2: 25-15 Nicholls
The Red and Gray set the tone in the beginning of the second frame, tallying 10 of the first 13 points. Junior libero
Emily Venable served out a five-point scoring run, helped by back-to-back service aces. The Colonels recorded six consecutive points later in the frame to take a comfortable 20-8 lead and Carpenter closed it out with a kill at 24-15.
Set 3: 25-23 Grambling
Nicholls dropped the third set despite building a 7-1 lead. Sophomore
Sydney Swann served three aces during that stretch. The frame went back-and-forth and featured eight ties. At 20 apiece, the two sides traded three-point runs but the Lady Tigers found two in a row to steal the set.
Set 4: 25-23 Nicholls
The deciding frame saw 15 ties and eight lead changes. Tied at 22, the Colonels were able to secure the win as Hill smashed a kill and two Grambling attack errors ended the match.
Northeastern 3, Nicholls 2
Jones' career-high 18 kills were not enough as the Colonels were nipped 15-13 in the fifth set.
Set 1: 25-21 Nicholls
Trailing 7-4 in the first set, the Red and Gray rallied with an 8-1 run that was capped by back-to-back service aces from Venable to grab a 13-8 lead. Although the Huskies used two kills to regain the advantage at 18-16, the Colonels countered with four straight and never lost the lead from there. Jones produced five kills in the frame.
Set 2: 25-17 Northeastern
Northeastern managed six blocks in the set, contributing to Nicholls' -.179 attacking percentage (6-11-28). The Colonels were within reach down 14-13 before the Huskies ripped off five straight to gain control.
Set 3: 25-23 Nicholls
Nicholls scored six straight behind the service of Piper after a 15-11 deficit. Burras totaled three assisted blocks during the run. Trailing again at 23-21, the Colonels used two Venable service aces and one kill each from Burras and Jones to take a 2-1 lead.
Set 4: 25-14 Northeastern
Northeastern swung an astounding .458 (13-2-24) to re-tie the match at two sets apiece, cranking out a 17-7 margin that Nicholls could not erase.
Set 5: 15-13 Northeastern
The deciding frame was tied at five when the Colonels surrendered four straight. Nicholls made a late 4-1 run while saving two match points at 14-11, but Hannah Boyd (13 kills) scored on a kill to ice the match.
The Colonels travel to Lafayette for their next contest, facing Housing and host UL-Lafayette on Friday and Mississippi Valley State on Saturday.
To stay up to date with Nicholls volleyball, follow the team on Instagram and Twitter
@Nicholls_VB.
