THIBODAUX, La. - Nicholls handed Abilene Christian volleyball its first loss on its current five-match road trip Saturday afternoon at Stopher Gym, 3-0. The Colonels edged the Wildcats in all three games by scores of 27-25, 25-23 and 25-21.
Nicholls improved to 3-11 against the Southland with the victory, while ACU slipped to 8-6 with two matches left in the season to be played next weekend at Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State.
The match was as close on the box score as it was on the scoreboard as the Colonels registered just five more kills than the Wildcats (43-38), and were seven percentage points better on the attack (.190-.183). The team dig totals were nearly identical, 69-68, and on the block, ACU had eight to six for Nicholls.
Where the Colonels held a distinct advantage, however, was at the service line where they delivered nine aces to only one for the Wildcats. Both teams rang up seven service errors as well.
ACU trailed most of the way in game one until catching the Colonels in the latter stages at 24-24 and 25-25. But after a block from senior
Jennifer Loerch and Lexi Mericier tied the score a final time, Kaci Eaton delivered one of her 12 kills and Anna Niederhauser finished the set with one of her game-high 17 kills.
Niederhauser hit .279 for the match, and Sydney Lerille drilled in seven kills on 10 attempts (.700) to go along with a pair of digs and block assists.
ACU held one of its largest leads of the match in game two at 18-15 but that advantage did not last long as the Colonels responded with a 5-1 run that put them ahead at 21-20. Loerch tied the score once more with an assist from
Kendall Bosse, but Nicholls went into the break on a 4-0 run thanks to three points from Niderhauser and an ace from Stephanie Tobison.
Nicholls' serving game again played a significant role in game three. With the score tied at 17-17, a point from Niederhauser brought the serve back to Nicholls' Lucija Barac who dropped in two of her four service aces on consecutive hits that made the score 20-17.
ACU wouldn't get any closer than two points the rest of the way as Nicholls went on to receive two additional blocks plus kills from Lerille and Schwartz over the final few rallies.
Loerch was the Wildcats' leading point scorer with 10.5 followed by Bosse with 9.5 and
Lauren Walker with 9.0. Walker had a hand in four blocks.
Sarah Siemens assisted on 27 of the Wildcats' 38 kills and
Madison Hoover dug out 22 of Nicholls' 137 attacks.
