CONWAY, Ark. - The Colonels rallied from an opening set defeat with a 25-21 win in the second, but it wasn't enough to overcome one of the hottest teams in the country as the Nicholls State University women's volleyball team (5-10, 0-2 Southland Conference) fell to the Central Arkansas Bears (15-2, 4-0 Southland) on Thursday night in Conway by a final of 3-1 (21-25, 25-21, 15-25, 15-25).
The Bears racked up their 14th consecutive victory, setting a new school record. However, the Colonels made Central Arkansas earn the win, totaling six total blocks and 61 digs as a team to keep the Bears off-balance.
Meanwhile, two Colonels posted double-digit kills as freshman Jennifer Brandt led the squad with 16 kills and a .333 hitting percentage (16-5-33) and senior Manieka Golden added 13 kills on 33 attempts with just five errors for a .222 mark.
"Regardless of the loss and the score, I'm still pleased and proud of the way we played in the first and second sets," head coach Chris Laird said. "Central Arkansas is a great team, and we knew they weren't going to go away in the third and fourth sets. We had some big kills and we did some thing well and we're still getting better. We're looking forward to playing them again at home (on Oct. 31), becuase we played pretty well against them at times, but right now we're looking forward to playing Northwestern State (on Saturday)."
The Bears got off to a fast start in a first set in which they never relinquished the lead. However, the Colonels battled tough, out-hitting the Bears .321 (12-3-28) to .300 (15-6-30) and putting together a late charge to close to within three points at 24-21 before the Bears finall claimed the first set win.
In the second, the Colonels once again fell behind 2-0. However, this time Nicholls responded by going on a 10-5 run to take the lead. The Colonels would hang on through the rest of the second set thanks, in part to Golden and Brandt. Neither of the two recorded an error in the second as Golden totaled six kills and a .667 hitting percentage and Brandt added four more kills and a .500 mark en route to a 25-21 win for the Colonels to square the match at 1-1.
Unfortunately, for Nicholls, the Bears responded in the third and fourth sets by showing why they are one of the hottest teams in the country. The Bears hit .265 (13-4-34) as a squad and tallied 17 digs and a pair of blocks to limit the Colonels to 15 points in the third. Central Arkansas claimed the 25-15 win in the third before winning the fourth by the same margin to claim the 3-1 victory.
Nicholls will return to action when they return to Louisiana to face in-state conference rival Northwestern State in Natchitoches. First serve for the Saturday afternoon tilt is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The Colonels will return home to open a three-match homestand, their longest of the season, beginning with a Oct. 6 contest against Jackson State.
The Bears racked up their 14th consecutive victory, setting a new school record. However, the Colonels made Central Arkansas earn the win, totaling six total blocks and 61 digs as a team to keep the Bears off-balance.
Meanwhile, two Colonels posted double-digit kills as freshman Jennifer Brandt led the squad with 16 kills and a .333 hitting percentage (16-5-33) and senior Manieka Golden added 13 kills on 33 attempts with just five errors for a .222 mark.
"Regardless of the loss and the score, I'm still pleased and proud of the way we played in the first and second sets," head coach Chris Laird said. "Central Arkansas is a great team, and we knew they weren't going to go away in the third and fourth sets. We had some big kills and we did some thing well and we're still getting better. We're looking forward to playing them again at home (on Oct. 31), becuase we played pretty well against them at times, but right now we're looking forward to playing Northwestern State (on Saturday)."
The Bears got off to a fast start in a first set in which they never relinquished the lead. However, the Colonels battled tough, out-hitting the Bears .321 (12-3-28) to .300 (15-6-30) and putting together a late charge to close to within three points at 24-21 before the Bears finall claimed the first set win.
In the second, the Colonels once again fell behind 2-0. However, this time Nicholls responded by going on a 10-5 run to take the lead. The Colonels would hang on through the rest of the second set thanks, in part to Golden and Brandt. Neither of the two recorded an error in the second as Golden totaled six kills and a .667 hitting percentage and Brandt added four more kills and a .500 mark en route to a 25-21 win for the Colonels to square the match at 1-1.
Unfortunately, for Nicholls, the Bears responded in the third and fourth sets by showing why they are one of the hottest teams in the country. The Bears hit .265 (13-4-34) as a squad and tallied 17 digs and a pair of blocks to limit the Colonels to 15 points in the third. Central Arkansas claimed the 25-15 win in the third before winning the fourth by the same margin to claim the 3-1 victory.
Nicholls will return to action when they return to Louisiana to face in-state conference rival Northwestern State in Natchitoches. First serve for the Saturday afternoon tilt is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The Colonels will return home to open a three-match homestand, their longest of the season, beginning with a Oct. 6 contest against Jackson State.
