Xavier Gold Nuggets beat University of New Orleans, set school record for home victories

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana -- Moira Kirk and Jeanay Butler led Xavier University of Louisiana with seven kills apiece Wednesday in a 25-18, 25-21, 25-12 women's volleyball victory against the University of New Orleans at The Barn.

The Gold Nuggets (11-3) tied a school record for victories in a season and set another XU season mark with their sixth home victory. Xavier has won 10 of its last 11 matches and is 6-0 at The Barn.

UNO (2-11), loser of seven straight, got seven kills from Jasmyne Walker and four aces from Tory Hearn.

Xavier trailed 10-7 in the first set before consecutive aces from Taylor Reuther and five UNO attack errors feuled a 10-3 run that put the Gold Nuggets ahead to stay. Reuther ended the set with another ace.

Xavier University of Louisiana's 2011 women's volleyball team
      Front row, from left: Kia Smith, Chinedu Echebelem, Joyy Joseph,
 Celeste Poe, Patrice Hightower and Alexandria Rencher.
      Back row, from left: Morgan Stallings, Kerris Crier, Iva Bobkova,
Moira Kirk, Jeanay Butler and Taylor Reuther.

(Click on photo to enlarge)

The Privateers scored eight consecutive points to reduce a 21-11 second-set deficit, but a Butler kill and blocks from Kerris Crier and Reuther helped Xavier close. The Gold Nuggets outhit UNO .476 to minus-.057 in the third set and rolled to a 19-7 advantage. A UNO attack error, the Privateers' 27th and their 46th overall, ended the match.

Kirk attacked errorlessly for the third time in five matches and is hitting .488 in 82 attempts during that span. Butler 's kills and.438 attack percentage were season highs.

Xavier outhit UNO .257 to minus-.027 for the match and had a 45-34 advantage in digs. Chinedu Echebelem led the Nuggets with nine digs, and Jessie Mouton had the same number for UNO.

Reuther, who won her third Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week award Monday, had season lows of five kills and a .000 attack percentage.

"We never let down," Xavier coach Christabell Hamilton said. "We made mistakes, but we kept the tempo of the match on our side. That's an important thing to do for a young team like ours with four freshmen starting. It also was also good to get all our players into the match. Because we're playing five times in four days, all of them need to be ready to play."

It was the first volleyball meeting between the schools. They'll meet again Oct. 25 at UNO. For Xavier, an NAIA member, it was the fourth victory in five attempts against NCAA Division I opponents this season. Xavier will play another D-I opponent, Prairie View A&M, at 5 p.m. Thursday at The Barn.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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