NATCHITOCHES – Stacey DiFrancesco and Keelie Arneson set the pace for the Northwestern State volleyball team as they defeated Nicholls State 3-0 on Saturday afternoon at Prather Coliseum.
 
The 25-16, 25-14, 25-20 victory improves the Lady Demons record to 14-8 overall and 6-4 in Southland Conference play. Nicholls State falls to 8-12, 3-6.
 
“We really recaptured our identity today,” said Lady Demon co-head coach Hugh Hernesman. “I felt like our outsides did a tremendous job, both Stacey and Caiti had high kill numbers. They made very good decisions in out of system situations.”
 
DiFrancesco recorded her 10th double-double of the year landing 15 kills and collecting 10 digs. Additionally, she put up four service aces.
 
“Stacey was not very happy about how she played last week,” said Hernesman. “She is a very driven athlete for us and she wants be great. She did a very good job both Thursday and today.”
 
Caiti O'Connell also had a double-figure kill performance with 10.
 
Arneson had another great match on the defensive end, digging up 21 attacks.
 
“Keelie took care of the balls that she was supposed to,” said Hernesman. “I think when she plays her best is when we don't even notice her. We take for granted a lot of things that she does but she makes the plays all of the time and she raises the bar for herself every week.”
 
The Lady Demons had an impressive start in the first set, running out to a 6-1 lead. The Colonels fought back and brought the score 7-6 but Northwestern State persevered, putting up a 7-2 run.
 
Nicholls was not able to bring it close again as the Lady Demons won the set 25-16.
 
The second set started off close with four ties and four lead changes before the 10 point mark. A kill by Vanessa Coleman sparked a 6-0 run for Northwestern State, giving the Lady Demons a 17-11 advantage.
 
Another 6-0 streak increased Northwestern State's lead and closed out the set at 25-14.
 
The third set was the most competitive of the three as the Colonels attempted to take the match to four. The Lady Demons pulled ahead several times but Nicholls continued to bring it close. One of DiFrancesco's aces led to a 4-0 Northwestern State run, giving the Lady Demons a commanding 16-10 lead.
 
The Colonels decreased the deficit to two at the 22-20 mark before a 4-0 Northwestern State run sealed the deal and the Lady Demons won 25-20.
 
“I think we are going in a very positive direction,” said Hernesman. “Our players' response to two losses last week was 'don't worry coach, we got this' and that was encouraging to see.
 
Last week was an off week and this week was a very good week. We are trying to recapture our energy and being at home helps”


The Northwestern State volleyball team goes up against Lamar next Thursday evening. First serve is set for 7 p.m. in Prather Coliseum.