THIBODAUX, La. -- The Nicholls State University volleyball team (4-12, 1-3 SLC) was defeated 3-0 in their conference home opener by McNeese on Thursday night.

The first set was a closely contested battle that saw the Cowgirls pull away 25-22. The second set was all McNeese, including an early 6-0 run that eventually led them to finish the set 25-18. In the third set, the Colonels jumped out to an 11-5 advantage that was erased by an 11-1 run by the Cowgirls to swing the momentum in their favor to win the set 25-19.

The Red & Gray offense was led by a trio of attackers that were set up constantly by senior Lilly Bivens and freshman Taylor Heeb who posted 14 and 12 assists, respectively. Sophomore outside hitter Trinity Vinzant and freshman outside hitter Mackenzie Pryor recorded eight kills apiece, while senior Katie Jones added six. Senior middle blocker S'mara Riley chipped in five kills of her own as well as the Colonels' lone solo block. Nicholls had four service aces with Vinzant, Riley, sophomore setter Kendall Battistella, and sophomore libero Kadie Becnel each claiming one.

Defensively, the unit was anchored by Becnel who registered 14 digs, while Vinzant added 10. Senior outside hitter Devon Bright and Pryor each had seven digs and Bivens and Heeb tallied six apiece. The Colonels had 16 block assists with Jones leading the charge with six, followed by Riley who added 4. Freshman middle blocker Paris Dixon stayed active with three, Pryor recorded two, and Bright had one.

UP NEXT
The Colonels head to Hammond, La. To take on the Lady Lions of Southeastern on Saturday, Oct. 1. The action from Hammond can be streamed via ESPN+ at 11 am.

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).