Colonels enter the Southland matchup with advantages offensively, while the Privateers look to turn around a difficult start to conference play

Nicholls volleyball heads back on the road for a Southland Conference matchup against New Orleans, with the Colonels looking to build on an 8-9 overall record and continue climbing in conference play.

Nicholls enters the matchup at 8-9 overall and 1-3 in the Southland, while New Orleans has struggled through the first half of its schedule at 2-15 overall and 0-4 in conference play.

On paper, Nicholls enters with the advantage in several important areas, particularly offensively.

The Colonels have recorded 786 kills through 66 sets this season, averaging 11.9 kills per set while hitting .201 as a team. Opponents are hitting just .176 against Nicholls.

New Orleans has totaled 694 kills through 60 sets and is averaging 11.6 kills per set, but the Privateers have hit just .183 as a team. Their opponents have been considerably more efficient, hitting .252 and averaging 14.1 kills per set.

That gap could become one of the biggest factors in the match.

Nicholls Has Several Offensive Options

The Colonels have not had to depend on only one attacker this season.

Madison Smith leads Nicholls with 191 kills and is averaging 3.14 kills per set. Kera Arrington has added 179 kills and 2.71 per set, giving Nicholls a pair of players capable of carrying stretches of a match offensively.

McKenzie Mitchell has 97 kills while averaging 2.49 per set, and Harper Holder has been one of Nicholls’ most efficient attackers. Holder has 91 kills while hitting .391.

Maya Schirmer has also provided efficiency in the middle, hitting .377 with 104 kills.

That balance gives Nicholls options. If one attacker gets slowed down, the Colonels have shown they have multiple players who can take swings and produce points.

Isabella Padilla has been at the center of the offense with 453 assists, averaging 6.86 assists per set.

New Orleans Still Has Weapons

The Privateers’ record may not jump off the page, but Nicholls cannot afford to overlook their offensive threats.

Armie Hall leads New Orleans with 196 kills and an average of 3.27 kills per set. Laura Piva has added 132 kills, while Ryan Williams has 67.

Hall has clearly been the player Nicholls will need to locate throughout the match. She has taken 497 attacks, significantly more than anyone else on the New Orleans roster.

If the Colonels can make things difficult on Hall and force New Orleans to find production elsewhere, it could put added pressure on a Privateer offense that has already struggled with consistency.

Serving Could Matter

Nicholls has also been slightly better from the service line.

The Colonels have 117 aces this season compared with 109 for their opponents. New Orleans has recorded only 67 aces while allowing 135.

That is an area Nicholls should look to attack.

Serving aggressively and getting New Orleans out of system could prevent the Privateers from consistently getting the ball to their best attackers. It could also allow Nicholls to control the tempo rather than letting New Orleans settle into long rallies.

Nicholls will still need to limit its own mistakes. The Colonels have committed 137 service errors, so there is a balance between applying pressure and giving away points.

Defense Could Give Nicholls an Edge

Nicholls has recorded 853 digs this season, averaging 12.9 per set. New Orleans actually averages more digs at 15.1 per set with 905 total, but the overall numbers tell a larger story.

Opponents are hitting only .176 against Nicholls compared with .252 against New Orleans.

That means the Colonels have been much more effective at preventing opponents from turning swings into points.

Blocking is one area where New Orleans has been slightly better statistically. The Privateers average 1.7 blocks per set compared with Nicholls at 1.5.

Nicholls will need to remain patient offensively and avoid forcing attacks into a New Orleans block.

History Favors New Orleans, But Recent Result Went Nicholls’ Way

The two programs have met frequently over the years.

New Orleans owns a 20-14 advantage in the all-time series, but Nicholls won the most recent meeting convincingly.

The Colonels swept the Privateers 3-0 on Nov. 13, 2025, winning the sets 25-20, 25-11 and 25-21.

Nicholls is 6-10 historically on the road against New Orleans, making this another opportunity for the Colonels to chip away at the series advantage.

What Nicholls Needs to Do

The formula is fairly straightforward for Nicholls: play clean volleyball and don’t allow New Orleans to gain confidence early.

The Colonels appear to have the deeper offense, have been more efficient attacking the ball, and have done a better job limiting opponents offensively.

Nicholls should have a chance to control this match if it can serve aggressively, get consistent production from Smith and Arrington, keep getting efficient swings from Holder and Schirmer, and avoid extending rallies with unforced errors.

New Orleans enters searching for its first Southland victory of the season. Nicholls has a chance to earn another conference win and start turning a 1-3 league start in the right direction.

For the Colonels, this is the type of road match they need to take advantage of as the Southland schedule begins to take shape.