UPDATED WITH STORY: Morgan City High's Daniels will play vollleyball for Nicholls

One of Sarah Daniels’ volleyball coaches says Daniels’ teammates are her biggest cheerleaders. Now she has a chance to impress a new set of teammates at the Division I level.
The three-sport Morgan City High athlete signed a letter of intent Wednesday to attend and play volleyball for Nicholls State.
Daniels was a hitter for the Morgan City volleyball team that went 23-16 in the regular 2023 season. The Tigers beat Cabrini in the district playoff round before falling to St. Michael the Archangel in the regionals.
Daniels finished the season with 427 kills, 247 digs, 43 blocks and 33 aces for coach Sydney Swan’s team.
She’s also a member of the Thibodaux Regional Rise club team, a college prep program that sends the team around the country.
The Rise coach, and Daniels’ coach for three years, is Kui Fletcher, who was on hand for the signing ceremony at Morgan City High.
“Sarah has always been at the top of my list …,” Fletcher said.
“The No. 1 thing with Sarah is she’s a great team player. She’s a great athlete, too, but she’s a team player.”
Another Daniels coach agreed.
The last two of Christy Theriot’s 27 years as a Morgan City coach were Daniels’ freshman and sophomore years. As a 10th-grader, Daniels was an important part of the 2021 Tiger team that, despite a No. 9 seed, beat Lusher Charter and St. Louis Catholic in the playoffs before falling to Archbishop Hannan in the state quarterfinals.
Theriot was at Wednesday’s signing ceremony and repeated a one-word description of Daniels that Fletcher used.
“She’s dynamic,” Theriot said. “She was definitely a presence on the court, and she’s adaptable to different positions.”
Daniels had Nicholls connections even before signing her letter. Fletcher is a former Nicholls player, and a friend, Terrebonne High grad Tre’Nae Taylor was a freshman member of the Colonels team this fall. And she likes the atmosphere.
“When I went on my visit,” Daniels remembered, “I said, ‘Yeah, I need to be here.’”
At the signing, Morgan City High teacher Leslie Smith said that Daniels has been involved with the school even beyond volleyball, basketball and track. She has been part of the Student Council, the Foreign Language Club and BETA Club. Daniels was also named football homecoming queen this fall.
“Since she stepped foot on our campus four years ago,” Smith said, “I knew she was destined to for something great.”
Daniels will join a young Nicholls team. The Colonels were 4-24 this season with a roster that had eight freshmen and only one senior. The Nicholls coach is Jonea Rima.