THIBODAUX, La. –After securing double digit non-conference victories, the Nicholls State University women's volleyball team began Southland Conference action with a pair of losses at New Orleans and Southeastern.
GAME ONE: Nicholls 2, New Orleans 3 | 25-20, 16-25, 22-25, 25-23, 7-15
The Colonels dropped the first game of the weekend in thrilling fashion. The unit scored tallied double figure kills in three sets including 16 in the opening frame. The offense went cold in the second set as UNO hit .333 from the floor compared to .027 for Nicholls.
The third and fourth stanzas were closely contested back and forth frames that saw the teams win them by combined five points to set up a winner takes all fifth set. In the final stanza, the Colonels hit .200 from the floor while UNO posted their most efficient set of 12 kills while hitting .435 to secure the victory.
Nicholls offense was paced by setter
Isabella Padilla who dished 47 assists. The Colonels were led by
Tamara Chavez who registered 22 kills and 16 digs to claim her sixth double-double of the season.
Alyssa Williams (.323) and
Melanie Guevara added 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
Defensively, Williams led the way with four blocks followed by
Ana Clara Valentim do Vale who claimed three. Libero
Olivia Besson tallied 18 digs while
Ava-Claire Calais and Padilla added nine apiece.
Karina Smith added eight while
Harper Holden and Guevara combined for seven.
GAME TWO: Nicholls 0, Southeastern 3 | 18-25, 10-25, 13-25
The Colonels' offensive struggles continued in their game in Hammond as the unit hit .011 from the floor while the Lady Lions tallied double digit kills in all three sets and hit .349 for the contest. After a competitive opening frame, the Lady Lions utilized multiple scoring runs to take control of the match.
The Red & Gray offense was led by
Maelie Chupin who had nine kills while Williams added seven. Padilla and Calais paced the offense with 10 and nine assists respectively. Besson anchored the defense with 14 digs while Smith and Chavez combined for nine.
UP NEXT
The Red & Gray (10-5, 0-2 SLC) will continue league play across state lines at UIW (Oct. 2) and HCU (Oct. 4).
