THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University women's volleyball team will host Lamar (Oct.1) and SFA (Oct. 3) inside Stopher Gym. Both contests will be live streamed via ESPN+.
NICHOLLS COURT | 7-8, 0-2 SLC
Nicholls began Southland Conference action with a home loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (1-3) and a road loss to UTRGV (0-3).
The Colonels run a balanced offense which features five players with at least 85 kills.
Kera Arrington leads the unit with 160 followed by Zahaharah Edwards-Wyllie (105),
Mckenzie Mitchell (97),
Maya Schirmer (93), and
Harper Holden (89). The attack is paced by setters
Isabella Padilla and
Jenna Cicherski who have 428 and 128 assists, respectively. Padilla leads the team in service aces with 18.
The Red & Gray defense is anchored by libero
Natalia Navarro who has 242 digs. Defensive specialist
Lizzie Kraft and Padilla join her in triple digits with 111 and 107. Schirmer and Holden protect the net as they have 48 and 33 blocks.
LAMAR COURT | 4-11, 1-1 SLC
Lamar began SLC action by splitting a pair of home contests. First the Cardinals beat LSU New Orleans (3-0) before losing a five-set match against Southeastern. After playing the Colonels in Thibodaux, the Cardinals will head west to play McNeese in Lake Charles on Saturday.
Like Nicholls, Lamar has a balanced offense with multiple threats. Maja Malinowska leads the unit with 163 kills while Nisaan Martinez and Grace Hill add 137 and 109, respectively. The Cardinals offense also features two setters as Alexa Gonzalez had 246 assists while Katelyn Hughes has 230. Hughes leads the team in service aces (17).
Lamar's defense is anchored by Gabby Baker who has 208 digs while Malinowska has 128. Saida Maksoud and Martinez provide coverage at the net as they have 37 and 34 blocks, respectively.
SFA COURT | 8-7, 2-0 SLC
The LadyJacks began SLC play with a pair of home sweeps over Southeastern and LSU New Orleans. SFA will play McNeese in Lake Charles on Thursday before coming to Thibodaux.
SFA's offense is mostly led by Katerine Holtman and Averey Koonsen who have 160 and 152 kills, respectively. Kennedy Jones and Caroline Kahle add 85 and 84 kills to the offense that posts a .293 hitting percentage across its first two matches of league play. Madi Zorn and Aniston Collins pace the offense with 306 and 233 assists.
SFA's defense is stout at the net as they have four players with at least 25 blocks. Kyanna Creecy leads the way with 52 followed by Jordan Henderson (38), Molly Cravens (36), and Holtman (28). Kahle and Koonsen lead the team in digs with 188 and 142, respectively.
SERIES HISTORY
Nicholls and Lamar have played 48 times with the Cardinals leading the all-time series 34-14 dating back to 1997. The Colonels have dropped the last seven matchups with their last victory coming at home in 2022. Nicholls and SFA have clashed 56 times and the LadyJacks have won 51 times including the last 18 contests. The last Red & Gray victory over SFA was home match in 2010.
