Nicholls falls in five sets to UNO

Freshman outside hitter Imanie Williams fired a career-high 20 kills as the Nicholls State University volleyball team suffered a five-set defeat (25-23, 21-25, 22-25, 25-15, 15-12) to the University of New Orleans Saturday at Stopher Gym.
This marked the Colonels’ first 20-kill performance since Anna Niederhauser’s 25 against Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 10, 2015.
Nicholls (4-23, 2-12 SLC) also got positive performances from junior setter Jade Piper and senior middle blocker Sydney Lerille. Piper contributed a team-high 47 assists and 16 digs for her ninth double-double of the season. Lerille pounded 10 kills while not committing an error in 19 attempts. Berwick High alum and Nicholls junior Brie Hill had 11 kills, one assist, seven digs and one block assist.
The Privateers (11-15, 5-9 SLC) were fronted offensively by Lane Hindenburg (15 kills), Blessing Dunn (12), Kyra Hunter (12) and Kaitlyn Grice (11). New Orleans’ libero, Andrea Nava, dug a match-high 27 balls.
The first set featured 10 ties as the Colonels erased two four-point deficits to tie at 22. Hill slammed a kill on the next point, but New Orleans responded with the next three points to close the frame.
Williams fronted the squad with five and six kills, respectively, in the next two sets, lifting the Colonels to a 2-1 margin.
Nicholls battled hard in the fifth set after the Privateers easily took set four 25-15. The Colonels took a 7-5 advantage after back-to-back solo blocks by seniors Stephanie Tobison and Emily Weimer. The decisive frame came to 10- and 11-point deadlocks before a 4-1 run resulted in a New Orleans victory.
Nicholls’ final two games of the 2017 season will take place at Northwestern State and Central Arkansas Thursday and Saturday, respectively.
For the latest news on Nicholls volleyball, follow the team on Twitter @Nicholls_VB.