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Freshman Imanie Williams smashed a career-high 16 kills as the Nicholls State University volleyball squad swept Mississippi Valley State, 25-19, 25-23, 25-14, Tuesday night at Stopher Gym.
Williams, a native of Hutto, Texas, is the only Nicholls student-athlete with four double-digit kill performances this season. Senior outside hitter Stephanie Tobison (11 kills, 11 digs) and junior setter Jade Piper (24 assists, 11 digs) contributed double-doubles, marking the third occurrence for both.
“(Imanie) was a stud,” Nicholls Head Coach Tommy Harold said in a news release. “She went out there and took some swings on the ball. She was aggressive, and that’s what we’ve been trying to get her to do. She’s responding and getting better each week. I’m fired up about her. She had a great match.”
Williams made an impression early, tallying six kills in the opening stanza as the Colonels (2-8) never lost the lead after the 1-1 tie. Nicholls had one four-point and two three-point runs to make quick work of the Devilettes (1-9) in set one.
The Colonels also got off to a quick start in the second set, scoring the first four points.
Mississippi Valley pushed three points toward the backend of the set to tie it at 23 apiece, but Nicholls closed with back-to-back kills by Tobison and Williams.
After the two sides traded the first four points of the deciding set, the Colonels outscored the Devilettes 7-1 in the next eight points to take control of the frame and eventually take the match.
Nicholls junior right side/outside hitter Brie Hill, a Berwick High alum, had five kills in the match.
Nicholls concludes tournament play this weekend at the Memphis Invitational. The Colonels begin the event Friday against UT-Martin at noon.
“This past weekend, we played close with everybody just about halfway through the set, and then we let things get away from us,” Harold said. “We’ve got to be able to maintain that level for an entire match, not just get on ebbs and flows.”

Selena Gomez recently received a kidney transplant from television actress Francia Raisa due to her struggle with lupus, the actress-singer revealed Thursday.
Gomez disclosed in an Instagram post confirmed by her publicist that she has been somewhat out of the spotlight this summer because she was recovering from the procedure. The 25-year-old calls the transplant “what I needed to do for my overall health.”
The post didn’t reveal Gomez’s current condition or say where or when the procedure took place. Gomez’s publicist declined to release more information.
Gomez wrote “there aren’t words to describe” how she can thank Raisa, who she says gave “the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney.”
“I am incredibly blessed,” she added.
The Instagram post includes a picture of Gomez and Raisa holding hands while lying side-by-side in hospital beds and another photo of a scar on Gomez’s abdomen. The 29-year-old Raisa is best known for her role on the ABC Family series “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.”
Raisa’s former publicist said she forwarded a request for comment to Raisa on Thursday; it was not immediately returned.
Gomez revealed her lupus diagnosis in 2015 and took a break from her career last year to deal with anxiety, panic attacks and depression stemming from her battle with the disease.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease, where the body mistakenly attacks its own tissues, sometimes including the kidneys. One healthy kidney is all the body needs, so a single kidney transplant can resolve the problem, said Dr. David Klassen, chief medical officer for the United Network for Organ Sharing, which runs the nation’s transplant system.
“Lupus tends to be a disease of younger women, and younger people tend to do better with transplants than older patients, so the expectation is she would do quite well,” he said of Gomez.
Lupus also tends not to come back after the operation — “the drugs that prevent kidney rejection are also very good for treating lupus, the underlying disease,” Klassen said.
The causes of lupus are unknown. Symptoms can include bloody or foamy urine, unexplained weight gain, high blood pressure or swelling in the legs, ankles or around the eyes.
Only about 3 percent of kidney transplants are for lupus — most are due to diabetes or chronic damage from high blood pressure.
There were about 19,000 kidney transplants in the U.S. last year.
Gomez, whose hits include “Good for You,” “Same Old Love” and “Come & Get It,” has been in the spotlight since she was a child. She appeared on “Barney and Friends” before breaking through as a teen star on the Disney Channel’s “Wizards of Waverly Place.” She has a massive following on social media. Her 126 million followers on Instagram are the most on the platform.
She is due to star in an upcoming Woody Allen movie due out next year.
Gomez, who has been dating the singer The Weeknd for several months, also has had success behind the scenes as the executive producer of Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why,” the controversial young adult series that became a summer sensation this year.

Charles Williams Sr., 74, a resident of Patterson, died Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017, at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center.

Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until services at 11 a.m. Friday at Bayou Vista Community Family Fellowship Church. Burial will follow in Morgan City Cemetery.

He is survived by six sons, Bishop Belva Webb, Tony Webb, Charles Webb Jr. and Christopher Webb, all of Patterson, Kurwin Webb of Berwick and Willie Webb of Carencro; five daughters, Spornia Span and Mearyl Simien, both of Patterson, Lenora Webb and Joycelyn Webb, both of
Morgan City and Rochella Williams of Alexandria; one sister, Lillie Williams-Ruffin of Morgan City; three brothers, the Rev. Ivory Williams and Clarence Williams, both of Franklin, and Anthony Williams of Morgan City; and a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other relatives.

He was preceded in death by his wife, two sons, three grandchildren, his parents, two brothers and one sister.

Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.