Lady Colonels fall in second round

Before the season started the Nicholls volleyball team set a goal for themselves: Not only did they want to make the Southland Conference Tournament for a second straight year, they also wanted to win a game.

Mission accomplished.

The seventh seeded Lady Colonels defeated second-seeded Sam Houston State Friday night 3-1.

The Colonels won the 2003 Southland Conference Tournament, but were forced to forfeit all wins that season due to the use of an ineligible player, making Friday’s upset of the Bearkats the first official postseason win for Nicholls’ volleyball since the Colonels joined the Southland Conference.

Senior outside hitter Manieka Golden sparked the offense with 21 kills, and sophomore libero Danielle Daigle posted her seventh 20-dig match of the year to lead the defense in the win.

The team then moved on to play Stephen F. Austin Saturday afternoon, dropping a hard-fought match 3-1.

The Lady Colonels held a 24 point lead at one point in the match but fell 27-25.

Despite 23 kills and 14 digs from senior outside hitter Manieka Golden and another 13 kills from freshman outside hitter Jennifer Brandt, Stephen F. Austin came away with the win by scores of 23-25, 20-25, 25-19 and 27-25 at the Convocation Center in San Antonio.

The Colonels outhit the Ladyjacks .247 (57-21-146) to .219 (56-23-151) in a hard-fought match that saw 33 tie scores and 14 lead changes, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a fast start by SFA, which bettered Nicholls in blocks (9.0 to 7.0) and recorded fewer errors (37 to 41).

Both teams started slow as the Lady Jacks hit just .158 (12-6-38) in the opening frame. However, Nicholls hit just .026 (11-10-39) in the first. Nicholls saw Golden post five of her 23 kills in the first set.

Nicholls got its offense going in the second game as the Colonels saw six more kills from Golden, three each from Brandt and freshman middle blocker Jasmine Harris.

Unfortunately, Stephen F. Austin got going on offense as well. The Ladyjacks recorded a .333 team hitting percentage (16-4-36) in the second. In a set that saw seven ties and four lead changes, Nicholls went back and forth with SFA, tying the match at 16-16. However, the Ladyjacks put together a 9-4 run from that point on to pull away for the second set win and a 2-0 lead.

Facing elimination, Nicholls rallied in the third. The Colonels picked up momentum by avoiding a straight-set loss thanks to an impressive .387 team hitting percentage (14-2-31). Golden and Brandt each had five kills to lead the offense and a strong defensive effort was keyed by 4.0 team blocks and five of sophomore Jero Daigle’s 21 digs. The Colonels never trailed in the third set en route to a 25-19 win that forced a fourth set.

Unfortunately for Nicholls, Stephen F. Austin rebounded in the next frame. The Colonels saw eight kills from Golden, six more from Brandt and three from sophomore outside hitter Rachel Yezak. Nicholls battled through 16 ties and eight lead changes with SFA. However, the Ladyjacks rallied to tie the match at 24-24 before a 3-1 run gave SFA the 3-1 victory and a berth in the tournament title match on Sunday.

Saturday’s defeat puts the Colonels’ 2009 record at 13-19, making it Nicholls’ winningest season since the Colonels went 19-14 in 2002. Nicholls, which qualified for the 2008 Southland Conference Tournament, had earned a berth in the postseason event in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history.

Amy Whitehead (7) and Jasmine Harris (15) go for a block against Jackson State earlier in the season. The Lady Colonels advanced to the Southland Conference Tournament for the second straight year, advancing to the second round. * Photo by KYLE CARRIER