THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University volleyball team used scoring runs and stout defense to defeat Lamar 3-0 (25-20, 28-26, 25-23) to earn their third straight victory.

The first set was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Colonels go on two separate three-point runs to run away with the set 25-20.

In the second stanza, Nicholls pieced together a three-point run with two different five-point runs to sprint to a 17-11 advantage. Lamar answered with a six-point run to cut their deficit to one before the squads battled until the Colonels outlasted the Cardinals and won the extended set 28-26.

The third and final frame saw the Colonels jump out to a quick 10-3 lead. The Cardinals clawed back and went on an impressive eight-point run to take a 17-13 lead. Nicholls answered with a six-point run of their own to go up 19-17. The Colonels kept the momentum rolling and went up 24-20 before eventually winning the set 25-23.

The Red & Gray unit featured three outside hitters that finished the match with double-digit points. Senior Devon Bright recorded 10 kills and 18 digs to register her seventh double-double of the year. She also accumulated four service aces to finish with a team-high 14 points. Sophomore Trinity Vinzant stuffed the stat sheet for her eighth double-double of the season, finishing the contest with 10 kills, 10 digs, two aces, and two block assists to finish with 13 points. Senior Katie Jones ended the match with 12 kills and two block assists to finish with 13 points.

The Colonels' attack also received help from the middle blockers senior S'mara Riley and freshman Paris Dixon who had six kills apiece. Freshman outside hitter Mackenzie Pryor chipped in with five kills. The Red & Gray attack was paced nicely by setters senior Lilly Bivens and freshman Taylor Heeb who recorded 26 and 16 assists, respectively.

Defensively, sophomore libero Kadie Becnel tallied 17 digs and added a service ace to her stat line. Riley finished the match with three block assists, while Dixon and Jones had two apiece and Pryor finished with one.

UP NEXT
The Colonels will close out the conference regular season slate with home matches against UNO and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday, November 10, and Saturday, November 12.

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