Since August, the Nicholls State University volleyball team has volunteered at the Lafourche Home for Age and Infirmity and will continue to do so for the rest of the year.

“Community service is an important aspect of our program here,” head coach TeAna Tramel said. “At that particular facility, there was a need for someone to step in and help out.”

“We made a couple phone calls, and they were glad to have us,” Tramel said. “We go twice a month after practice, and our girls are loving it.”

Activities include bingo, manicures, arts and crafts and a future volleyball match is in the works.

“Most people there need some companionship, and it helps them to have a bright spot in their day,” Tramel said. “We treat our visits like we are going to visit our grandmothers, aunts and uncles.”

The good the team is doing for the occupants of the home is being reciprocated back to the players themselves.

“Our girls are actually learning and benefitting from the people we are helping,” Tramel said. “One day, a visit turned into a counseling session for my players. Some of the ladies there have been married for 30-40 years, so they were very helpful in the love and life department.”

Junior middle blocker Jessica Addicks said of her experience volunteering at the Lafourche Home: “I have really gotten close to some of the ladies that live there. They are so sweet, and they love hearing all about our volleyball team and our lives.”

“It means a lot to me to help out there because seeing the smiles on the faces of the men and women that live there when we come see them is priceless,” Addicks said. “They love having us come hang out with them, and we love going to see them. The stories these men and women share with us are so funny, and the people that live there are all so sweet!”

As of Saturday, Oct. 15, the Colonels lost six of their last seven matches after totaling a school record of 13 consecutive wins. The team is still 15-9 on the season and is still in the hunt for the conference tournament with a record of 2-6.

The Colonels look to rebound with a win this Saturday when they travel to Nacogdoches, Texas to face the Ladyjacks of Stephen F. Austin University at 1 p.m.