Belhaven is 1st of 3 XU home opponents this week

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana will seek to end its three-match volleyball losing streak when it plays Belhaven at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Convocation Center. Admission is free.
     
It will be the first of three home matches in five days for the Gold Nuggets (8-7), who will play Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opponents Edward Waters at 7 p.m. Thursday and Philander Smith at 1 p.m. Saturday.
     
Xavier lost in five sets Sept. 25 at SUNO — that snapped the Gold Nuggets' 63-match win streak against GCAC opponents — and lost in four sets Friday at Mobile and Saturday at Spring Hill. The Gold Nuggets haven't won since a three-set home sweep Sept. 22 against GCAC and city rival Dillard.
     
Xavier has not lost four in a row since its school-record 16-match losing streak in 2010.
     
The Gold Nuggets' statistical leaders are Taylor Reuther with 127 kills, Patricia Young Yen with a .330 hitting percentage, Franziska Pirkl with 454 assists, Darian Harris with 218 digs and Jodi Hill and Claudia Haywood with 28 blocks apiece. Hill, Pirkl and Harris lead the Nuggets with 14 aces apiece.
     
Belhaven (7-10) also has a three-match losing streak and has lost eight of its last nine. But the Blazers, in their first season in NCAA Division III, are 3-0 against GCAC opponents after victories against Dillard, Philander Smith and Talladega. Chae Levy and Lauren Whiting lead the Blazers with 127 kills apiece.
     
This will be the first XU-Belhaven meeting since 2012, when the Nuggets were 2-0 against the Blazers. Belhaven leads the series 6-5.
     
Thursday will be Fan Appreciation Night — there will be free pizza while supplies last — and Saturday will be the Nuggets' Dig Pink match for breast cancer awareness.
     
After the home stand, Xavier will close the regular season with 5-of-6 on the road — the exception will be an Oct. 31 Senior Day rematch with SUNO — then travel to Little Rock, Ark., for the GCAC Tournament Nov. 12-14.


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