Box Score

THIBODAUX – Caiti O'Connell led the Northwestern State volleyball team as the Lady Demons took down Nicholls State 3-2 in a five-set nail-biter.
 
The 14-25, 25-21, 25-18, 27-29, 15-11 victory improves NSU's record to 17-8 overall and 9-4 in Southland Conference play while Nicholls drops to 10-15, 5-9.
 
“We could not find a rhythm in the beginning and Nicholls came out playing very well,” said NSU volleyball co-head coach Hugh Hernesman. “They had a game plan that our players weren't necessarily prepared for.
 
“We got a lot better in the back half of the match at shrinking the runs that Nicholls was able to go on and that helped a lot.” 
 
The 17^th overall win marks the most in the volleyball program's Division I history while the nine conference wins tie with the 2005 season as the most for the program.
 
“At this point in the season I don't think we are going to get too excited about the wins,” said Hernesman. “The record is a tangible thing that we can look at maybe after the season is over but right now we are going to try to focus on Saturday's match against Southeastern.”
 
O'Connell hammered down a career-high 22 kills for the Lady Demons while also serving up two crucial aces in the fifth set.
 
“Caiti's service run in the fifth was huge,” said Hernesman. “She doesn't typically serve, we know she has a great serve but when she went back and aced a couple balls it took them out of system and really helped give us some cushion.”
 
Mackenzie Neely also performed well, landing 11 kills.
 
Glynna Johnson was efficient, once again, recording 10 kills and committing zero errors for a game-high hitting percentage of .455.
 
Stacey DiFrancesco put up her 11^th double-double of the season with 10 kills and 12 digs.
 
Keelie Arneson controlled the defense for Northwestern State, digging up 29 attacks.
 
The Lady Demons struggled in the first set, trailing by six early on at the 8-2 mark. Northwestern State attempted to come back, cutting the deficit to three as the scoreboard read 8-5.
 
The Colonels returned with five unanswered points and gained a 13-5 advantage. The Lady Demons were unable to take control and dropped the set 25-14.
 
The second set was much more competitive with seven ties and four lead changes. The Colonels took an early 3-1 lead before the Lady Demons came back to take the lead at the 6-5 mark.
 
Northwestern State maintained its' advantage until a kill by Nicholls' Jasmine Harris put the Colonels up 11-10. The Lady Demons regained their lead after a kill by Vanessa Coleman sparked a 6-0 streak, putting the score at 17-14.
 
Northwestern held onto its' lead for the remainder of the set, winning 25-21.
 
The Colonels came out hot in the third set, running out to a 4-0 lead. The Lady Demons answered with four straight points of their own, tying the game up.
 
The set went back and forth through the 18-point mark. An O'Connell kill started off a 7-0 Lady Demon run, which closed out the set at 25-18.
 
The fourth set was the most competitive of the night, totaling 19 ties and nine lead changes. Neither team led by more than three points throughout the game. The Lady Demons took their final lead of the set as the scoreboard read 24-23.
 
Northwestern tied it up a couple more times but Nicholls won the set 29-27.
 
The Lady Demons were determined in the fifth set as another O'Connell kill sparked a 6-0 run, putting Northwestern up 11-5. The Colonels tried to fight back, accomplishing a 4-0 streak of their own, but could not maintain their momentum as the Lady Demons won 15-11.
 
Northwestern State heads to Hammond next to match up against Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday afternoon.