The Colonel volleyball team will compete in the Southland Conference Tournament tomorrow for the second consecutive year, making school history.Despite making it in the tournament, the Colonels had to go through a nail biting experience to qualify.
Nicholls sat in a tie with Southeastern Louisiana University for the eighth and final seed in the conference tournament in Nov. 6th’s game against the University of Texas-San Antonio. 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 for the Colonels would give them an edge over the Roadrunners due to the fact that 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 then 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 Nov. 7th’s game 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 would win 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 then became possible when the Colonels received word that the Lions fell 3-0 in their match against UTSA, the team the Colonels had just beat the day before.
The fate of the seeding of the Colonels fell into the team’s hands.
The Colonels traveled to Lake Charles, Louisiana to take on the Cowgirls of McNeese State Friday. The Colonels had a nail biting five set match; all games came within five points. However, the Colonels prevailed and became one step closer to their conference bid.
However, the Colonels would get help from Southeastern in accomplishing their goal of making the conference tournament. Just the day before, Nicholls was given word that Southeastern’s 0-3 loss to Stephen F. Austin would secure the Colonels a spot in the tournament.
The Colonels would then fight for the sixth seed in the tournament when they took on Stephen F. Austin Saturday. In order to capture the sixth seed, either the Colonels would have to win over Stephen F. Austin or the University of Texas-San Antonio would have to lose.
However, the Colonels’ loss and UTSA’s victory landed the Colonels a seventh place seed in the conference tournament. This bid would be the second consecutive for the Colonels. This bid would make it into the record books because the Colonels have never had two bids to the conference tournament in two consecutive seasons.
The Colonels will face the number two seeded Bearkats of Sam Houston State in the first round of the Southland Conference Tournament tomorrow. The last time these two teams faced was Oct. 16 when the Bearkats took no mercy for the Colonels in Sam Houston’s 3-0 victory with scores of 15-25, 17-25 and 14-25.
Tomorrow’s first serve is set for 4p.m. in UTSA’s Convocation Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Fans who are not traveling to the game can follow the Colonels on Live stats. Live stats can be found on www.southland.org. The Championship game will be televised on the Southland Conference Television Network.
