Nuggets lose in 4 sets; Perry sets XULA season record

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana'sAmanda Perry set a school record for digs in a season, but the Gold Nuggets' season-high five-match win streak ended Saturday in a 20-25, 25-10, 25-21, 25-18 non-conference volleyball loss to Mobile.
     
Alex Karcher and Hannah Wentland had season highs of 14 kills apiece for the Lady Rams (19-6), who have won 10 of their last 11, and Hannah Buck had 13 kills.
     
Perry, a freshman from Bolingbrook, Ill., and a graduate of Bolingbrook High School, had 19 digs to raise her season total to a XULA-record 422.Darian Harris set the previous mark of 412 a year ago. Earlier this season, Perry set a school record of 18 consecutive matches with double-figure digs.
    
 Monet Fontaine matched her career highs with 11 kills and five digs for the Gold Nuggets (12-14), and Juliana Tomasoni and Terri Drake had nine kills apiece. Drake had six blocks, the most by a XULA player this season.
     
It was senior day for XULA's Ralitsa Slanchev and Kayla Jones, who were honored in a pre-match ceremony. Slanchev produced the second double-double of her career — 18 assists and a career-high 16 digs — and Jones had six digs. Each served an ace.

XULA outhit Mobile, the co-leader in the Southern States Athletic Conference, .407 to .156 in the first set — but the Lady Rams outhit the Gold Nuggets .299 to .107 in the final three sets.
     
For the match Mobile outhit XULA .268 to .162 and had advantages of 56-44 in kills, 6-4 in aces and 77-74 in digs. XULA had an 8-4 advantage in blocks.
     
Mobile served five aces in the second set, four by Annie Kate Hudson, to build a 14-2 lead.
     
The Gold Nuggets will visit SUNO at 6 p.m. Thursday, and a victory would give XULA an outright Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship. XULA clinched a tie for the title Thursday by defeating Dillard. The Gold Nuggets have one home match remaining, 7 p.m. Oct. 31 against Tougaloo.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold