The Colonels volleyball team looks to keep their hopes high for a bid to the 2009 Southland Conference tournament after going 1-1 this past weekend.Before Friday’s game against the University of Texas San Antonio, Nicholls sat in a tie with Southeastern for the eighth and final seed in the conference tournament. However, two Colonel losses to Southeastern gave the Lions an edge over the Colonels.
The 3.5 game separation between the fourth and ninth seeded teams make the eight conference tournament bids up for grabs.
The Colonels started on their way to a comfortable spot in the conference tournament with their 4-1 win over UTSA, who was recently in seventh place. The win gave the Colonels an edge over the Roadrunners because this is the only match-up between these teams, giving the victor the advantage.
Previously, eighth seeded Southeastern gave the Colonels a boost when they recorded a loss to Texas A&M Corpus Christi, giving the Islanders their first conference win of the season. The Colonels held an advantage over the Lions and the Roadrunners, giving them a comfortable spot if they were to win the rest of their games.
However, the Colonels came out Saturday night against the Islanders and handed over the Islanders’ second conference win of the season.
The loss was big for the Colonels, putting them back where they started: the fight for the eighth and final seed.
The Colonels’ loss put them tied again with the Lions. However, in a tiebreaker, the Lions won due to their two-game sweep over the Colonels.
“Hopefully, we will still have a chance to get ourselves back into the conference tournament,” head coach Chris Laird said.
The Colonels’ dreams of going to the conference tournament two years in a row became possible when the Colonels received word that the Lions fell 3-0 in their match against UTSA, the team the Colonels had just defeated the day before.
The fate of the seeding of the Colonels falls into the team’s hands.
One scenario for the Colonels to slip into the conference tournament would be to win the final two games of the season since they are already above Southeastern. However, if the Colonels were to lose one and Southeastern earns the victories, the Colonels’ season would be over.
The Colonels will travel to Lake Charles to take on the Cowgirls of McNeese State on Friday and end out the regular season in Nacogdoches, Texas on Saturday against the Ladyjacks of Stephen F. Austin.
If the Colonels make the conference tournament, the tournament will be held in San Antonio, Texas starting Nov. 19.
The Colonels’ volleyball action can be followed on live stats at www.geauxcolonels.com or www.mcneesesports.com for Friday’s match-up. Saturday’s action can be found on Game Tracker. The link can be accessed on the Colonel athletics Web site.
