Volleyball plans for conference play ahead of season

The Nicholls State women’s volleyball team opens its 2017 campaign with the aspiration to
qualify for conference play at the end of the season.

The Colonels began their quest for success in the offseason with the addition of six new players:
Victoria Becerra, Lydia Frederick, Kimberly Iwunze, Katie Jones, Imanie Williams and Meghan
Wozniak. 10 players return this season, providing experience and leadership to the newest
members of the squad.

Three of the 10 returning players, Sydney Lerille, Stephanie Tobison and Emily Weimer, will be
playing in their final season as Colonels. Head coach Tommy Harold expressed the exceptional
leadership they have demonstrated over their years here at Nicholls. Harold said, “They’re able
to get into the gym and show the other girls how it’s done and how to work. We would love to
have a whole roster full of them, but we’re happy with the ones we’ve got.”

Before the real season began this week, the team spent the offseason building team unity. Sydney
Lerille, a senior health and physical education major from Raceland, said, “Right now, we’re
really focused on team chemistry and making sure we get that solid foundation. We had 10
returners and six newcomers, so we made sure that with that 10 we had a solid foundation, so
then whenever the six newcomers came in, they knew where to follow up and knew where to
basically follow in line and know how we play our game.”

The Colonels also look to improve from their previous season’s 4-10 road record. “Last year, we
would win more home games than road games, and I think that’s because people would be tired,
but hopefully this year we can just get rest before, don’t let traveling affect us and make that
‘home atmosphere’ at the away team’s place,” Lerille said.

Coach Harold discussed a way of overcoming the struggles of competing on the road. Harold
said, “It’s all about routines. You’ve got to get in your rhythm. You’ve got to be able to travel,
get settled and get in the gym. (The gym’s) the same height, the court’s the same size; you’ve got
to go out there and just take those challenges on.”

Emily Weimer, a senior secondary education major with a concentration in social studies from
Thibodaux, said that the middles have worked on deep corners and that middles and outsides
have worked on reading the block as well.

Weimer also expressed a desire to defeat schools like Southeastern Louisiana University, The
University of New Orleans, and The University of Louisiana at Lafayette. “It’s always Southeastern.
UNO is one we would like to win and I’d say ULL too. For the ULL tournament, we always
go back and forth with them. Last season, we beat them and everyone was all pumped up,” Weimer said.

The volleyball team opens its season with a tournament at the University of Southern Mississippi
on Aug. 25 at 2 p.m.