Volleyball: Southeastern Louisiana 3, Nicholls State 2
Written by Kemmler Chapple (SLU Athletics)
Tuesday, 03 November 2009 22:26
SLU News
HAMMOND – Rallying from two sets down, the Southeastern Louisiana volleyball team helped its Southland Conference Tournament chances with a hard-fought 21-25, 19-25, 25-21, 25-17, 15-13 league victory over Nicholls in women’s basketball action Tuesday night in the University Center.
Southeastern (8-15, 4-8 SLC) earned its second straight victory over an in-state league opponent. The Colonels fell to 10-16 overall and 4-8 in the SLC. The win allowed Southeastern to complete a season sweep over its closest league rival.
Southeastern senior Lauren Mayer led Southeastern with 14 kills and was one of three Lady Lions to post double-digit kills. Junior Allison Jones had 11 kills and freshman Taylor Buckner provided a huge spark upon her insertion into the match in the third set, recording a double-double with 12 kills and 19 digs. Senior Katie Collins recorded 48 assists, while junior Alex Greer led the Lady Lions with 21 digs.
Jennifer Brandt led Nicholls with 17 kills, while both Rachel Yezak (match-high 24 digs, 12 kills) and Manieka Golden (15 kills, 17 digs) had double-doubles for the Colonels. Amy Whitehead finished with a match-high 53 assists, while Danielle Daigle and Rachel Spreen contributed 21 and 11 digs, respectively.
Southeastern hit only .038 in the first two sets, falling into a 2-0 hole going into the break. After the brief intermission, Lady Lions Paige Dollison (eight kills, .333 hitting percentage) and Buckner gave Southeastern a needed boost. Southeastern finished with a .158 hitting percentage, but hit .235 over the final three sets.
Down two sets, Buckner took over in the third set, finishing with seven kills as Southeastern made the score 2-1 with a 25-21 victory in the third set. The Lady Lions were aided by eight Nicholls errors in the set.
Southeastern was dominant in the fourth set, behind six kills from Mayer. Southeastern hit .250 on the way to taking the set, 25-17, while holding Nicholls to a .091 hitting percentage and forcing a fifth set.
A kill by Buckner gave Southeastern an early 4-0 lead in the deciding set, but Nicholls scratched back to make it 6-5 on a kill by Jasmine Harris. That would be as close as the Colonels as a Mayer winner gave Southeastern a match point at 14-10.
A kill by Yezak and consecutive attack errors by Buckner pulled the Colonels within one, but Dollison closed it out with a spike just inside the right baseline to preserve the victory.
Southeastern will close out its home schedule this week, hosting A&M-Corpus Christi at 7 p.m. and UTSA on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Southeastern La. def. Nicholls State 21-25,19-25,25-21,25-17,15-13
Nicholls State (10-16, 4-8 SLC) (Kills-aces-blocks) – Brandt 17-0-1; Golden 15-0-1; Yezak 12-0-2; Addicks 7-0-3; Harris 6-2-3; Whitehead 2-1-1; Spreen 1-0-0; Daigle 0-1-0; Totals 60-4-7.0. (Assists) – Whitehead 53. (Dig leaders) - Yezak 24; Daigle 21; Golden 17; Whitehead 15; Spreen 11.
Southeastern La. (8-15, 4-8 SLC) (Kills-aces-blocks) – Mayer 14-1-1; Buckner 12-0-1; Jones 11-0-3; Dollison 8-0-2; Elliott 7-0-2; Collins 4-0-2; Srajer 3-0-0; Donald 1-0-1; Braghini 1-0-0; Greer 1-0-0; Pittman 1-1-0; Totals 63-2-8.0. (Assists) – Collins 48. (Dig leaders) – Greer 21; Buckner, 19; Mayer 9; Collins 9.
