In the 2021-22 season, the Nicholls State Women’s Basketball team won two of the first four games, but those couple of early successes would not last long.  The Colonels would drop their next seven and win only twice in conference play, recording a 2-12 conference record and a 4-22 overall record.

After an underwhelming season, the girls ended on a high note, losing by a small margin to would-be Southland tournament champion the University of the Incarnate Word. 

Injuries plagued the Colonels last season with three players that coach Plaisance thought would be starters. One of those players was Traya Bruce. 

Bruce started the first nine games of the season before succumbing to a foot injury and missing the rest of the season.

Over the summer, the Colonels brought three new guards to help strengthen the team’s wing play. 

“Intentionally we recruited a very strong backcourt and brought in some more shooters,” Coach Plaisance said. “You should see stronger perimeter play, we will be taking more shots from out there and we’ll pray we start making more shots out there.”

One value stood out to the team over the offseason and that was accountability. 

“[Coach] gave us things to do and we had to hold ourselves accountable,” said Kate Manley. “We had to do the right thing over the summer and get in shape, and I think we came back better than last year.”

The Southland Conference Preseason Poll listed the Colonels to finish last with 25 points, 22 points behind the predicted ninth-place finisher, the University of New Orleans. The polls rounded out with the top three teams, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Houston Christian, and Southeastern, pulling in 120+ points each. The top finisher, Corpus Christi, received 11 of the 20 first-place votes.

The Colonels open up with home games against Mobile and Alabama A&M on Nov. 10 and Nov. 12 before traveling to Birmingham for their first away game against the University of Alabama at Birmingham. 

Nicholls will start its conference schedule against Southeastern on New Year’s Eve at 1:00 p.m.