Due to a couple of shutdown performances on the defensive side of the ball, Jessica Addicks, middle blocker for the Nicholls State volleyball team, was named the Southland Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Week.
At the time, the Colonels were on a three game win-streak and during that period, Addicks was on a tear offensively, hitting at a .319 percentage with 21 kills. Defensively, she posted 17 blocks, three digs, and nine aces from the serving line.
Head  Head coach Patrick Hiltz has been very impressed with not only Addick’s recent success, but the overall role she plays as a senior leader.
“We rely on her a lot,” Hiltz said. “One of our focuses at the beginning of the season was blocking and she has worked really hard thus far. The week she won the award, her blocking was on and if she did not block the ball, she touched it.”
Despite her defensive prowess over that span, Addicks was surprised to receive the award for defense because she is predominantly a hitter.
“I was shocked.  I was like, ‘oh my God, defense,’ because I hit more than I defended,” Addicks said. “If anything, I would have expected something for hitting, but it is still so exciting.”
This versatility is one of the strengths to her game, according to Hiltz.
“She’s adding some quickness getting off away from that block and being available for us as a hitter in transition,” Hiltz said. “We look to go for her because she is definitely one of the bigger, more reliable options for us.”
Addicks attributes her recent defensive success to a drill that Hiltz has instilled into the program. She expresses a sigh of reluctance when she hears the drill called in practice, but she is aware of the benefits.
“It is called the NSU Colonel blocking drill and when we hear that, we think, ‘no!'” Addicks said.  “But it definitely helps because you go back-and-forth blocking for three minutes, guessing where the setter will place the ball and responding accordingly.”
Undoubtedly, Addicks will play a significant role in the three games scheduled for the Colonels this week. They will square off against the UNO Lady Privateers and Grambling State Tigers on the road. On Saturday, the Colonels will return to Thibodaux to face conference foe Southeastern at 2 p.m.
After winning their first two conference games, they have lost the last four contests. However, Hiltz is confident in his team and where there are at as a team.
“As of now, we would be in the playoffs if they started today,” Hiltz said. “The postseason is always the goal, but I think we recognize that we have slipped over the last couple of weeks. We have opportunities to pick it up this week with three games, one of which is a conference game that we need to take.”
Addicks concurs with Hiltz in regard to the importance of these upcoming matches. Despite two of the games’ locations being on the road, the close proximity of in-state competition is something Addicks believes the Colonels can capitalize on.
“I think these three games are needed because they are all so close to home,” Addicks said. “We want to rebound well from the past couple of weeks, and that is definitely what coach is stressing.”