Tuscaloosa, Ala. – The Nicholls State University women's volleyball team split its final two non-conference games as they beat Southern and lost to Jacksonville State on Friday afternoon in the Crimson Classic, hosted by the University of Alabama.
MATCH ONE: NICHOLLS 3, Southern 2 | 21-25, 25-19, 25-19, 21-25, 15-10
Nicholls started the game slowly as they committed 10 errors while Southern only had two to take the first set 25-21. The Colonels bounced back as they took the next two sets with the same score, 25-19. The Red & Gray had a match high .30 hitting percentage in the second frame to get their momentum rolling. The Lady Jaguars forced a fifth set by posting a .297 hitting percentage to take the frame 25-21. Nicholls posted eight kills with a .273 hitting percentage to take the final stanza 15-10.
The Red & Gray offense had 58 kills as four different players finished with double figures kills.
Kera Arrington led the unit with 15 kills whole
Zahahrah Edwards-Wyllie added 12.
Madison Smith had 11 kills and three service aces while
Harper Holden had 10 kills with a .385 hitting percentage. Senior setter
Isabella Padilla had 34 assists while
Natalia Navarro and
Jenna Cicherski combined for 16.
The Colonel defense had four players record double figure digs. Navarro anchored the squad with 19 digs while Padilla added 12 to record her third double-double of the season. Smith registered her first double-double of the season as she had 11 digs while Edwards-Wyllie tallied 10 digs to secure the first double-double of her career.
NICHOLLS 1, Jacksonville State 3 | 25-17, 23-25, 22-25, 19-25
Nicholls dominated the opening set as they had a match high 15 kills and a .367 hitting percentage to take the frame 25-17. The Colonels lost their momentum as the Gamecocks took the next three stanzas 25-23, 25-22, 25-19.
Smith had a huge game offensively as she has 20 kills with a .350 hitting percentage. Holden, Arrington, and
Maya Schirmer had seven kills apiece. Cicherski paced the offense with 23 assists while Padilla had 11.
Navarro led the defense with 15 digs while Smith and
Lizzie Kraft had seven apiece. At the net, the team had 14 blocks with Schirmer leading the way with four. Holden had three while the trio of Amelie Shafoon, Arrington, and Edwards-Wyllie had two.
UP NEXT
Nicholls (7-6) will begin Southland Conference play with a home contest against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The contest is the Colonels' education game and first serve is scheduled for 11 a.m.
