MACON, Ga. -- The Nicholls State University women's volleyball program (3-0, 0-0 Southland) closed out the Mercer Bears Classic with another powerful performance on the hardcourt, securing the title of tournament champions behind a 3-1 victory over Georgia Southern (1-2, 0-0 Sun Belt) on Saturday morning in Macon, Ga. Notably, the Colonels surge out to a 3-0 record for the first time this century, with only the 1999 team (4-0) standing ahead of the current Red & Gray squad.
KEY STORYLINES & STATISTICS (W 3-1)
-- After falling in a tight first set 22-25, the Colonels battled back to knot the score in the second set before breaking the split with a key victory in an extended third set (31-29), leading to the eventual overall win.
-- Junior transfer OH
Kate Hoerdemann shined as the Red & Gray's primary offensive weapon, notching a tournament-high 20 kills on the day with one assisted block and four digs.
-- Meanwhile, sophomores RS
Katie Jones and OH
Emily Gauthreaux posted positive numbers offensively, closing out the match with a combined 22 kills. The latter also managed to lead the squad in service aces, picking up four total in the win.
-- Junior S
Meghan Wozniak put together a team-high 45 assists along with nine digs and two service aces.
-- Defensively, senior L
Emily Venable continued to dominate, collecting a team-best 16 digs.
"It was definitely a back-and-forth match, but we were locked in and hungry to win," head coach
Kallie Noble said. "I felt that whoever won that fourth set was going to come away with the win, and we managed to execute when it mattered. After that first set, we felt that we had to make a change, and the shift we decided on really allowed Kate [Hoerdemann] to have a great match. We're excited to rise to the next level, and I know we haven't even gotten close to reaching our peak just yet. A big goal for me and my staff coming in was changing the culture, and based on what we're seeing now, this team has bought into our system and now we're just excited to see how competitive we can become."
UP NEXT
With the Mercer Bears Classic wrapped up, the Red & Gray return to south Louisiana for the program's first Thibodaux-based tournament since 2011, hosting the Colonels Classic on Sept. 6 & Sept. 7 against Alcorn State.
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).
Â
Â
-- #GeauxColonels --
