Big Easy Blastoff will open 2015 XU volleyball schedule

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana will open its 2015 women's volleyball schedule with a six-team, two-day home tournament.
    
Third-year coach Hannah Lawing announced Monday the schedule, which consists of 24 regular-season matches, 11 at home.
    
Joining the Gold Nuggets in the Big East Blastoff Aug. 28-29 will be four NAIA members — city rival Loyola, Faulkner, Mobile and Wayland Baptist — plus NCAA Division I's Mississippi Valley State. Xavier will play all but Loyola that weekend.
    
Xavier and Mississippi Valley will meet at 9 a.m. in the first of five matches Aug. 28. The Gold Nuggets and Mobile will close the day with a 5 p.m. match.
    
Xavier will travel to Brunswick, Ga., for the Mariner Invitational the second weekend and play Bethel (Ind.), Bryan, Coastal Georgia and Martin Methodist.
    

Wayland Baptist — a second-day opponent in the Big Easy Blastoff — and Coastal Georgia were NAIA National Championship qualifiers in 2014.
      
The Gold Nuggets will be at home for their first Gulf Coast Athletic Conference match, 7 p.m. Sept. 7 against Talladega. Xavier is the four-time defending GCAC regular-season and tournament champion and is 59-0 the past four seasons against GCAC opponents. Xavier is one of 12 schools to qualify for the NAIA National Championship each of the last four seasons.
    
Still undecided is the site of the GCAC Tournament Nov. 13-14. The tournament winner will receive an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship, which will begin Nov. 21.
    
Xavier will play three road matches in New Orleans: SUNO on Sept. 25 and Dillard on Nov. 9 in the GCAC and Loyola on Oct. 29. The visit to Dillard will be the Gold Nuggets' regular-season finale.
    
Xavier's final home match of the regular season will be Oct. 31 against SUNO. It will include a Senior Day ceremony for six Gold Nuggets: Darian Harris, Claudia Haywood, Jodi Hill, Franziska Pirkl, Taylor Reuther and CeCe Williams. All but Hill have been All-GCAC selections. Reuther was the 2012 GCAC Player of the Year, and Reuther (2011), Haywood (2013) and Williams were GCAC Tournament MVPs.
 
Match times and dates are subject to change.
    
Xavier was 20-6 in 2014, 14-0 in the GCAC.

Xavier University of Louisiana
2015 Women's Volleyball Schedule

Aug. 28 (Fri.):  MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, 9 a.m. (Big Easy Blastoff)
Aug. 28 (Fri.):  MOBILE, 5 p.m. (Big Easy Blastoff)
Aug. 29 (Sat.):  WAYLAND BAPTIST, 9 a.m. (Big Easy Blastoff)
Aug. 29 (Sat.):  FAULKNER, 3 p.m. (Big Easy Blastoff)
Sept. 4 (Fri.):  Martin Methodist, 11 a.m. EDT (Mariner Invitational, Brunswick, Ga.)
Sept. 4 (Fri.):  Bryan, 3 p.m. EDT (Mariner Invitational, Brunswick, Ga.)
Sept. 5 (Sat.):  at Coastal Georgia, 11 a.m. EDT (Mariner Invitational, Brunswick, Ga.)
Sept. 5 (Sat.):  Bethel (Ind.), 3 p.m. EDT (Mariner Invitational, Brunswick, Ga.)
Sept. 7 (Mon.):  •  TALLADEGA, 7 p.m.
Sept. 11 (Fri.)  •  at Edward Waters, 6 p.m. EDT
Sept. 19 (Sat.):  •  TOUGALOO, 2:30 p.m.
Sept. 22 (Tue.):  •  DILLARD, 7 p.m.
Sept. 25 (Fri.)  •  at SUNO, 6 p.m.
Oct. 2 (Fri.)  at Mobile, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 3 (Sat.)  at Spring Hill, 1 p.m.
Oct. 6 (Tue.):  BELHAVEN, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 8 (Thu.):  •  EDWARD WATERS, 7 p.m.
Oct. 10 (Sat.):  •  PHILANDER SMITH, 1 p.m.
Oct. 17 (Sat.)  •  at Talladega, 1 p.m.
Oct. 24 (Sat.)  •  at Tougaloo, 1 p.m.
Oct. 29 (Thu.)  at Loyola, 6 p.m.
Oct. 31 (Sat.):  •  SUNO, 1 p.m.
Nov. 2 (Mon.)  •  at Philander Smith, 6 p.m.
Nov. 9 (Mon.)  •  at Dillard, 7 p.m.
Nov. 13-14 (Fri.-Sat.):  Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament, site TBA

Home matches in BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS
All times are Central except where noted
Schedules are subject to change

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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