Xavier gets rematch at Spring Hill in NAIA opening round

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Xavier University of Louisiana will get a rematch with Spring Hill on Saturday in the 2011 NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round.

The NAIA announced Sunday the 32 qualifiers and pairings for 12 first-round matches. Xavier (23-6) and Spring Hill (38-1) will meet at the Arthur Outlaw Rec Center on Spring Hill's campus in Mobile, Ala. Starting time has not been determined.

The Gold Nuggets earned an automatic bid to nationals after beating SUNO 25-12, 25-17, 25-20 Saturday in the championship match of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament at Nashville, Tenn. The appearance at nationals is Xavier's first in four seasons of intercollegiate competition.

Xavier beat SUNO 25-12, 25-17, 25-20 Saturday to win the
Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament at Nashville, Tenn.

(click on photo to enlarge)

Spring Hill defeated Xavier 25-10, 25-20, 25-12 at Mobile on Sept. 6. Since then the Gold Nuggets have won 22 of 26 matches, including a pair of school-record eight-match win streaks. The Nuggets also set program records for victories, home victories (8), conference victories (10) and victories on opponents' courts (6). Xavier was 11-26 a year ago.

The Badgers won 38 in a row before losing 25-22, 25-17, 20-25, 25-21 Satruday to third-ranked Lee (Tenn.) in the title match of the Southern States Athletic Conference Championships at Biloxi, Miss. Spring Hill beat Lee in five sets in mid-September.

"Spring Hill is a strong program. To be ranked 16th and have an astounding 38-1 record is very respectable," said Xavier first-year coach Christabell Hamilton. "We have grown a lot as a team since our first meeting, and I am excited for the match this weekend. This will be a good challenge for us."

Xavier is 0-10 all-time against Spring Hill, with the six most recent losses occurring in straight sets.

Saturday's other first-round matches are Carroll (Mont.) at College of Idaho, Montreat at Indiana Wesleyan, La Sierra at Vanguard, Robert Morris (Chicago) at Missouri Baptist, Point Park at Indiana Tech, Cal State San Marcos at Point Loma Nazarene, Lindsey Wilson at Taylor, Oklahoma Baptist at Kansas Wesleyan, MidAmerica Nazarene at Bellevue, Grand View at Olivet Nazarene and Freed-Hardeman at Indiana East. First-round byes went to Azusa Pacific, Biola, Columbia (Mo.), Concordia (Calif.), Embry-Riddle (Fla.), Fresno Pacific, Lee, Lewis-Clark State, Morningside, Rocky Mountain, Southern Oregon and Texas at Brownsville.

The winners of the Saturday matches will advance with the 12 teams with byes to the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena in Sioux City, Iowa, for the NAIA National Championship presented by CNOS Foundation Nov. 29-Dec. 3.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS