HOUSTON, Texas - An impressive start by the Nicholls State University women's volleyball team was not enough to keep the Colonels' championship run alive as No. 3 McNeese advanced to the semifinals of the Southland Conference Tournament with a 3-1 win (19-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-23) over Nicholls Friday afternoon at Sharp Gym.
With the loss, Nicholls wrapped up its season with an 11-17 overall record. The tournament win over Northwestern State Thursday was the program's first postseason victory since 2009.
Emily Gauthreaux and
Katie Jones closed out their careers with 16 and 13 kills, respectively, while
Aaliyah Burras and
Yani Johnson had seven each.
Lilly Bivens finished with 25 assists and
Brooke Weichbrodt had 17 with two aces.
Things looked promising for the Colonels early as they used 4-0 and 5-0 runs to cruise to a 25-19 win in the opening set. Four Colonels tallied at least three kills, led by Gauthreaux with four.
But McNeese countered with a win in the second by the same score. Three consecutive points for an 11-7 lead gave the Cowgirls the lead for good to even it up at 1-1.
The third set saw the two in-state rivals go back-and-forth. Nicholls scored five straight for a 13-11 lead, ending the run with kills by Gauthreaux and Burras. However, the Cowgirls answered right back with five straight points. With the scored knotted at 22, McNeese used three kills in the next four points to take the 2-1 lead.
In the fourth, the Cowgirls took control with a 6-0 spurt for a 13-8 lead. McNeese had two aces and a kill, and blocked two Colonel attacks at the net. But Nicholls had one last run as Johnson delivered a kill to start a 4-0 run, trimming the deficit to 23-22. The teams traded kills for the next two points before Anyse Smith ended the match with her 20th kill of the day.
