THIBODAUX, La. -- The Nicholls State University volleyball team (3-6) will travel to Laramie, Wyoming to compete in the UNIWYO Invite, hosted by the University of Wyoming on Sept. 15-17. In the tournament, the Colonels will face, Wyoming (2-7) on Thursday at noon MT (1 p.m. CT), then Morehead State (3-5) at 5 p.m. MT (6 p.m. CT) on Friday, before clashing with Idaho (0-9) to close out the slate on Saturday at 10 a.m. MT (11 a.m. CT). Nicholls match against Wyoming will be available to stream and watch via the Mountain West Digital Network.
 
Nicholls Court:

The Colonel's attack all season has been a group effort. Senior outside hitter Devon Bright leads the charge and has registered 94 kills. Also contributing more than 60 kills thus far are senior middle blockers S'mara Riley (72) and Katie Jones (64), while sophomore outside hitter Trinity Vinzant produced 69. Vinzant and Bright have 13 and 12 service aces, respectively. The offense is paced nicely by a pair of setters, senior Lilly Bivens has tallied 172 assists and sophomore Kendall Battistella has 138.

Defensively, the Red & Gray is anchored by sophomore libero Kadie Becnel who has 130 digs. Also chipping in with digs is Vinzant (98), and Bright (83). The pair of outside hitters have combined for seven double-doubles this season. The Colonel's defense also has a lot of support from their height in the middle. Four individuals have recorded double-digit blocks, with Riley leading the way with 36, followed by Jones who has 26. Freshman middle blocker Paris Dixon has 21, and Bright rounds out her skillset with 17.
 
Wyoming Court:

The Cowgirls have two main attackers leading their offense. Junior outside hitter Corin Carruth leads the way with 109 kills averaging three per set. Graduate student outside hitter KC McMahon has accumulated 78 kills averaging 2.23 per set. Sophomore Kasia Partyka is the main setter handing out 298 assists thus far. Additionally for the offense, three individuals have double-digit service aces. Sophomore middle blocker Kayla Mazzocca has 12, while senior outside hitter Hailey Zuroske and Carruth each have 11.

Defensively Wyoming operates with a collective effort around Zuroske who has 135 digs. The Cowgirls use their height to get as many blocks as possible. Mazzocca leads the charge posting 30 blocks followed by freshman outside hitter Tierney Barlow claiming 19. McMahon, Carruth, and Partyka each have 17 blocks to help the team average 1.84 blocks per set.
 
Morehead State Court:

The Eagle's offense is led by a trio of attackers that are constantly set up by senior setter Bridget Bessler, who has registered 266 helpers. Outside hitter Abby Hulsman is the main benefactor from her classmate's passes recording 88 kills. Also contributing are freshman outside hitter M.E. Hargan and sophomore right-side hitter Maycie Welborn have registered 73 and 72 kills, respectively. Additionally, senior defensive specialist Andrea Grimes has 12 service aces.

Defensively, they use a collective effort leading to multiple players having similar totals. Grimes leads the way with 74 digs, followed by sophomore defensive specialist Isley Peighton and freshman Shea Hefner, who have 66 and 60 digs, respectively. Hulsman and Bessler remain active claiming 58 and 55 digs. Sophomore middle blocker Irene Wogenstahl and Welborn lead the unit in blocks with 23 and 22, respectively. Additionally, sophomore middle blocker McKenzee Wagener has tallied 17, while Hargan has 11.
 
Idaho Court:

The Idaho attack is spearheaded by freshman outside hitter Taryn Vrieling who has 74 kills on the season. Freshman middle hitter Madison Wilson adds 47 kills to the offense. The Vandals deploy a two-setter operation with freshman Kate Doorn registering 123 assists, while senior Hailey Pelton has tallied 115.

Defensively, the Vandals have four individuals with double-digit blocks. Wilson leads the charge with 25, followed by junior middle blocker Travel Morris (15), freshman outside hitter Olivia Gloeckner (14), and Vrieling (11). On the back line freshman libero, Aine Doty has a team-high 100 digs.
 
UP NEXT

After closing out the three-match slate in Wyoming, the Colonels will turn their attention to the Southland play as they open conference play with matches on the road at UIW and HBU on Sept. 22 and 24.

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