THIBODAUX, La. -- After finishing the 2018 season with three total wins, the Nicholls State University volleyball team saw the 2019 campaign begin with the best start in program history -- six consecutive victories -- a feat attributed to a change both team culture and coaching.
 
The Colonels kicked off their 6-0 run with an undefeated showing at the Mercer Bears Classic in Macon, Ga., where they picked up wins over Mercer University, Campbell University and Georgia Southern University. The following weekend, they dropped Alcorn State University twice on subsequent days in straight sets to improve to 5-0, marking the best start in Nicholls volleyball history.
 
A 3-0 victory over Mississippi Valley State University at the LA Tech Invitational capped off their undefeated start before the host Lady Techsters edged the Red & Gray in five sets.
 
"I think after that first tournament...all inhibitions went out the window, and were kind of freed," senior libero Emily Venable noted. "We said, 'Hey, we can do this. We can take it to the end, and we can end on top.".
 
Venable recalled crying "happy tears" after their first match, as she saw a team of women who were playing for each other without any hesitation. Junior middle blocker Kimberly Iwunze said the first tournament marked the moment the team knew the 2019 campaign would be different from previous seasons.
 
"I just feel like we were not surprised at ourselves, but just like 'wow, we're a new team. It's going to be different,'" Iwunze said.
 
The Colonels now sit at 10-7 (4-2 in Southland Conference play) with more wins already this season than in their last two seasons combined. Iwunze said that, after last season, the women wanted to win badly and knew they could turn the program around.
 
Venable said the team is playing with more heart, emphasizing a mentality of giving it all or nothing.
 
"I think there's a lot more heart in this and there's a lot more grit," Venable said. "You can tell by how many five-set matches we go to, we fight to the very end and that's kind of what we're going to be known for."
 
With three conference wins under their belt, Iwunze said the Colonels are sending a message to the rest of the SLC that they are "coming hungry."
 
"We're not going to be easy, honestly," Iwunze continued. "We're just going to keep fighting. Even though they think they're going to win, we're not done."
 
"That's for ranking us 12th," Venable added. 
 
Iwunze attributes the team's early success in part to that attitude of being hungry to win all the time and in part to a change in the program's coaching staff. Back in January, Director of Athletics Matt Roan announced former University of Memphis assistant coach Kallie Noble had been selected to take over as head coach of the volleyball program.
 
Noble said she knew she had a capable group of players when she came into the job at Nicholls. The team, and the program in general, needed a culture change.
 
"It was changing the mentality and getting them to believe in themselves and them just stepping out of their comfort zone and really playing for each other," Noble said.
 
The Colonels currently boast a 5-1 record in Stopher Gymnasium with the lone loss coming by the slimmest of margins (3-2 to Southeastern Louisiana). Iwunze indicated the home crowd has grown significantly from last year, and the fans' energy serves as motivation.
 
"We have so many people that believe in us," Iwunze said. "That energy makes us want to win for them [and] make them believe in us even more."
 
Venable said it is inspiring to see the support from the surrounding community and fellow student athletes. As for Stopher itself, Noble feels her players have made the home venue a hostile environment for opponents but a fun one for themselves.
 
"When we played the five-set match against McNeese and it went 31-29...we fought off nine match points, and the crowd roared, and so it was super exciting," Noble said.
 
Before the season even started, the volleyball program made its 2019 goal clear: reach the Southland Conference tournament. Noble said after the team's successful first weekend, her coaching staff felt the team may be even better than they anticipated.
 
In the midst of their early-season surge, though, the Colonels are making sure to stay grounded. Venable said it is important to remember that volleyball is still a sport that they are playing alongside the people they love.
 
"You kind of go back to all the wins and the losses and all the big plays and everything, and you go back to, 'I'm just doing what I love.' It's not something that should be super stressful," Venable said.
 
Iwunze stressed the importance of taking the season one game at a time.
 
Noble indicated the coaching staff tries to remind their players that opponents are used to enter Stopher Gym thinking Nicholls is the "easy win," but with the solid start, the rest of the league has begun to pay more attention.
 
"They're taking a little more notice," Noble concluded. "They'll prepare for us a little bit more, so that makes us have to prepare even more for our opponents."

UP NEXT
The Colonels pack their bags for the team's longest Southland roadtrip of the season, traveling to Stephen F. Austin & Lamar this upcoming Thursday & Saturday, respectively, before hitting both Texas A&M-Corpus Christi & Sam Houston State the ensuing weekend.

STAY SOCIAL
For more information on Colonels Volleyball, follow the team on Twitter (@Nicholls_VB), Instagram (@nicholls_vb) and like their Facebook page (Nicholls Volleyball).