DUDLEY, Mass. (9/1/2026) - The Nichols College women's volleyball team battled back to force a decisive fifth set in its home opener on Tuesday evening, but ultimately fell to Colby-Sawyer College, 3-2, at the Nichols Athletic Center.
Nichols opens the season at 0-1 overall, while Colby-Sawyer starts off at 1-0 with the win.
The Bison opened the match with a strong first set, jumping out to an early 6-2 advantage behind a pair of kills from
Jhudny Pierre. After Colby-Sawyer battled back to tie the score at 6-6, Nichols responded with a 5-0 run to regain control, with newcomer
Lauren Decoteau striking down a pair of kills throughout, ultimately helping the Bison build a 17-11 lead. The Chargers then stormed back to even the set at 20-20, only for Nichols to piece together another 5-0 stretch to claim the first set, 25-20.
Colby-Sawyer responded in the second set, using a 7-0 run to turn an early 4-2 Nichols lead into a 9-4 advantage. The Bison continued to battle and trimmed the deficit to three points at 10-7, but the Chargers maintained control down the stretch to even the match with a 25-16 victory. The third set featured another dramatic late Nichols rally. The Bison trailed 24-22 and faced set point before
Alyssa Morse delivered consecutive kills to tie the score at 24-24. Colby-Sawyer, however, answered with back-to-back points to claim the 26-24 win and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Facing a must-win fourth set, Nichols came out firing and raced out to an 8-2 advantage before extending its lead to 19-11. The Bison appeared in control after back-to-back
Elizabeth Mullen service aces gave Nichols a 23-15 lead, but Colby-Sawyer responded with a 9-1 run to pull even at 24-24. Facing similar pressure from the third set, freshman
Ella Pratt delivered a kill for the go-ahead point, before connecting with Morse on a combo block to secure the 26-24 victory and force a decisive fifth set.
Despite Nichols' fourth set victory, Colby-Sawyer seized the momentum early in the final frame, building a 5-1 advantage before pulling away for a 15-5 victory.
Junior
Gabrielle McKayle led Nichols with eight kills on the evening, while Decoteau added seven in her Nichols debut. Mullen paced the Bison defensively with 16 digs, while Morse added 15 and
Liliana Bottone recorded 13.
Lena Heini and
Naseem Hennouch each finished with 17 assists in their first collegiate matches.
The Bison will look to bounce back at the Emerson College Tri-Match on Saturday, September 5
th. Nichols will open with a 11:00 AM match against the host Lions, before facing Simmons University in a 1:30 PM tilt at the Bobbi Brown & Steven Plofker Gym.
