Nicholls volleyball team faces three games in six days in longest homestand of season

The Nicholls volleyball team will have a busy week, playing three matches over the course of six days.

Fortunately for the Lady Colonels, all three Southland Conference matches will be at home, starting with Nicholls hosting Texas A&M-Commerce at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Stopher Gym.

“It’s definitely nice to get back home where we’re not on the road more than anything. At least the games are spread out. It out only having two per week and kind of settle down for the week at home,” Nicholls coach Jonea Rima said.

Nicholls goes into the Commerce match 0-9 in the Southland and 2-17 overall.

The Colonels are coming off a three-set loss at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Prior to that loss, Nicholls played consecutive five-set matches for the first time this season, falling to Lamar at home and to the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio.

“We were 2-0 going into the third set with Incarnate Word,” said Rima. “We lost some momentum. They made some adjustments on the Incarnate Word side, and we just didn’t make that same adjustment. We had our chances, had some great runs. Serving-wise, I think our serve was aggressive. Our offense kind of came to play and we were able to spread out our offense. I don’t think we really relied on one kid. It was a team effort, for sure.

“Our passing was really good the first two sets. We struggled with the pass the third, fourth and fifth set. We just couldn’t get it good enough to finish the match.”

Nicholls wasn’t nearly as competitive when it took on Texas A&M-Corpus Christ.

“Corpus is very established program. They have a lot of height. Their setter runs a pretty fast offense. It was a pretty physical game. It took us a couple of sets to kind of settle down and get into the match. I think the third set we definitely had a lot more contribution and a lot more success than the first two sets,” Rima said.

Texas A&M-Commerce entered the week 5-4 in the SLC and 9-13 overall. The Lions have lost three of their last five matches but are coming off a three-set win over Lamar.

The Lions are paced by Kitana Tuufuli, who has 213 kills on the season. Breann Connally is eighth in the Southland with 418 assists, while Deja Benjamin is sixth in the SLC with 70 total blocks. Commerce has three players among the top 10 in blocks in the league.

“I think they’ve had a really good last couple of weeks,” said Rima. “Their blocks have really been on point. I think it will rely on us to pass really well and keep our sets a little bit off the net so we can move some stuff around. I think they do a good job of sealing and general, is just a physical team.

“Once you get past the blocking, there are a lot of ways to score. It’s just about being smart about things as hitters.”

Following the Texas A&M-Commerce encounter, Nicholls is slated to host Northwestern State at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Northwestern State entered the week 5-5 in the conference and 9-12 overall. The Demons have lost four of their last five matches, including two in a row entering the week.

Teresa Garza leads Northwestern State in kills with 194. Piper Boydstun had 349 assists and Amina Attra 328 to pace the team. Reaghan Thompson tops the conference in blocks with 116.

“Northwestern is kind of a wild-card team.,” said Rima. “They are very athletic. I think those kids can really bounce balls, but then, when we went to their place, there really were a lot of mistakes on their part. I think they were a little inconsistent early-on. They are a big team, a very physical team. It always helps height-wise. We can’t train the height.”

The three-match homestand concludes next Tuesday when Nicholls takes on McNeese State at 6:30 p.m.

McNeese is 7-2 in the SLC and 9-13 overall entering the week. The Cowgirls have won three of their last four matches.

Carissa Chainey is third in the Southland in kills with 251 kills and McKenzie Moore has 218. Megan Gross is third in the SLC in assists with 561. Sanni Rantanen has 50 total blocks and Moore 49.

“They run a really quick offense,” Rima said. “Their setter is really dynamic. If she’s not delivering the ball, she dumps quite a bit. You have to be on your toes and really pay attention to her, first and foremost.  She controls their side of the net.

“Their outsides are real dominant. They are up in the air even before the sets are even delivered. They are just wanting to run a quick offense. As long as their passes are well, they will continue to run that faster tempo.”

Although Nicholls has yet to win a game in Southland play and is riding a 12-game losing streak, the Lady Colonels have not given up on the season, according to their coach.

“I walked into practice on (Monday) and before practice even started, we had the majority of the team getting extra reps. It’s good to see. I know we’re frustrated and disappointed for not getting the wins, but it’s good to see them back in the gym trying to get better, polishing their skills so they are ready for the next competition.”