THIBODAUX, La. -- The Nicholls State University volleyball team completed a three-game slate in the Gamecock Classic where they were defeated by Jacksonville State, Samford, and South Dakota State on Sept. 9-10, in Jacksonville, AL.
GAME ONE vs Jacksonville State (L 3-0) (21-25, 10-25, 23-25)
In the weekend's first game, the Colonel's offense wasn't enough to fend off the host Gamecocks. The match saw two back-and-forth closely contested sets being split by a rough second set. The Nicholls attack was led by senior middle blocker
Katie Jones who posted eight kills. Freshman middle blocker
Paris Dixon and sophomore outside hitter
Trinity Vinzant finished with four and five kills respectively. The offense was set up by setters senior
Lilly Bivens and sophomore
Kendall Battistella who combined for 19 assists.
Defensively, sophomore libero
Kadie Becnel recorded 15 digs, while Jones and Vinzant each had six. Senior
S'mara Riley had five blocks.
GAME TWO vs Samford (L 3-2) (25-18, 26-24, 24-26, 18-25, 11-15)
In the penultimate game of the weekend, the Red & Gray offense got back on schedule, but it was not enough as the Bulldogs outlasted the Colonels in five sets. Nicholls won the first two sets before the Bulldogs took three straight.
Senior outside hitter
Devon Bright recorded her fourth double-double of the season finishing the contest with 15 kills and 14 digs. Also recording a double-double, Vinzant added 10 kills and 14 digs. Bivens and Battistella paced the attack, combining for 33 assists.
On defense, Nicholls showcased their height with Jones and Dixon registering eight blocks apiece while Riley and Bright added seven and five, respectively. Becnel and Battistella added 20 and 11 digs, respectively.
GAME THREE vs South Dakota State (L 3-1) (25-20, 18-25, 18-25, 8-25)
In the final game of the weekend, the Colonels won the first set but came up short in the next three to fall to the Jackrabbits.
The offense for the Red & Gray came from a variety of individuals from the assists of Bivens (23) and Battistella (15). The most active recipients of the passes were Jones and Dixon who registered 10 and nine kills. Also contributing to the attack was freshman outside hitter
Mackenzie Pryor, who added seven kills.
The Colonel's defense was no different from the offense being guided by a multitude of players. Becnel led the way with 10 digs while Bright and Vinzant each had nine. Additionally, Bivens and Battistella combined for 14. Also impacting the defense with blocks were Riley (6), Vinzant (3), and Jones (2).
UP NEXT
Nicholls will hit the road for another tournament traveling to Laramie, Wyoming to compete in the UNIWYO Invite, where they will clash with the University of Wyoming, Morehead State University, and the University of Idaho.
STAY SOCIAL
For more information on Colonels Indoor & Beach Volleyball, follow both teams on Twitter (
@Nicholls_VB), Instagram (
@nicholls_vb), and like their Facebook page (
Nicholls Volleyball).
