THIBODAUX, La. -- The Nicholls State University volleyball program (10-13, 4-8 Southland) fought the Southland's second-ranked squad -- in-state rival Northwestern State (18-8, 10-2 Southland) -- to a near deadlock Saturday afternoon at Stopher Gym, eventually falling to the Lady Demons by a 3-1 margin despite back-to-back two-point losses (both 27-25) in the first & second sets to open the match.

KEY STORYLINES & STATISTICS (L 1-3)
-- The Colonels forced the initial two sets to a stalemate as neither squad ever managed to clinch a serious advantage, only faltering in late points to Northwestern State as the visitors grabbed a 2-0 lead on the scoreboard. Despite the seemingly insurmountable edge for the Lady Demons, the Red & Gray battled back with a ferocious performance in the critical third set, outpacing NSU for in a 25-19 victory. The fourth saw Northwestern State take advantage of some early mistakes by Nicholls, pulling away midway through to clinch the eventual 25-17 win & the match victory.
-- As has become custom, sophomore OH Emily Gauthreaux put together a magnificent showing for the Red & Gray offensively, racking up a team-high 20 kills in her second-best performance of the season (24 kills vs. Bethune-Cookman). The Houma, La. native also grabbed four digs along with one service ace.
-- Fellow sophomore RS Katie Jones returned to double-digit kills, posting 11 on the day with a team-high .318 hitting percentage, her fourth most-efficient showing of the season.
-- Junior S Meghan Wozniak led the Colonels in her usual category -- assists -- as she notched 33 for the match, not to mention seven digs & three kills.
-- Offensively, senior OH Jennifer Olivarez continued to make an impact on the Red & Gray bottomline, slotting in nine kills in what ranks as her second-best career performance for the category.
-- On the defensive end, senior L Emily Venable proved more than capable of challenging one of the league's toughest outside hitters, Hannah Brister, as the Gonzales, La. native consistently dug the Colonels out of trouble throughout the match. The senior finished the day with 25 digs, good for her third-highest total on the season.

UP NEXT
The Colonels shift focus to the final contest of their three-match home stand, as in-state rival New Orleans visits Stopher Gym on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.

STAY SOCIAL
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