THIBODAUX, La. – The New Orleans Privateers volleyball team officially clinched a spot in the Southland Tournament as they swept the Nicholls Colonels 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-13) on Thursday evening at Stopher Gym.
With the win, New Orleans also moved into a tie for seventh place with Texas A&M-Commerce. They are one game back of current six-seed, UIW.
New Orleans turned the tide of the match when they overcame an early six-point deficit in the first set. Nicholls was up 16-10 when the Privateers started their comeback. New Orleans responded by scoring on 10 of the next 14 rallies which vaulted them to a 20-19 lead.
The Privateers closed the first set with points on back-to-back rallies from a kill by
Molly Kehoe and a tandem block from
Karen Cordero Barr and
Sydney Gott.
New Orleans broke open a close second set behind Cordero's service rotation. Tied at 11-11, the Privateers went on a seven-point run. Three of those points came on service aces from the graduate student.
The match finished with a flourish for the Privateers who had a sterling third set. New Orleans hit .533 and had no attack errors in 30 attempts. New Orleans raced out to a 14-4 lead and never looked back as they coasted to the victory and the season sweep over Nicholls.
INSIDE THE BOX
The Privateers hit .409 as a unit in the victory. That matches their season-high for best hitting percentage in a match which was also achieved against South Carolina State.
Courtney Roundtree hit .563 and had 10 kills along with four total blocks.
Buse Kocakaya led the team with 12 kills and hit .478. Cordero finished with eight kills and 12 digs.
Lani Alleman had 11 digs and
Rita Zecchin finished with 10 digs.
Defne Eciroglu compiled 31 assists.
Deniz Akgul led the Colonels with 10 kills. Gracie Campbell and Addison Phares had eight kills apiece. Rae Leano finished with a team-high 12 digs.
NEXT UP
The Privateers will host Lamar in the regular season finale on Saturday at 11 a.m.
WE ARE YOUR KREWE
For 54 seasons, Privateer student-athletes have had the unique experience of wearing New Orleans across their chests. Like the city itself, our sports teams have been fueled by resiliency, grit, and the unquenchable desire to win. Our city also houses the nation's biggest celebration each year. And much like a Mardi Gras parade krewe, we are tethered to our community through pride, tradition, a culture of acceptance, and finally our commitment to show that New Orleans is a world-class city to live, learn, play and work. We invite you to become more involved with the only University that truly represents New Orleans all day, every day. Join #NOLAsTeam, We Are Your Krewe!
Visit UNOPrivateers.com/signup to stay connected and follow us @UNOPrivateers on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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