NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana has signed four more student-athletes to its volleyball program.New to coach Pat Kendrick's Gold Nuggets for the 2018-19 school year will be:
• Angele McClain, a 5-foot-8 middle blocker/right side from New Orleans, a graduate of Newman High School and a transfer from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Ala. She will be a dual-degree biomedical engineering major at XULA.
• Marine Angely, a 5-11 outside hitter from Sirvy, France, and Lycee Arthur Varquaux. She is undecided on her major.
• Damilola Dada, a 5-9 right side/middle blocker from Grand Prairie, Texas, and Mansfield Summit High School. She will be a pre-pharmacy major.
• Beatrice Formilan, a 5-10 libero from Santorso, Italy, and Liceo Scientifico Tron. She will be a business management major.
McClain will be a sophomore. Angely, Dada and Formilan will enter as freshmen.
McClain redshirted at Spring Hill in 2016, then hit .337 with 45 kills and 15 blocks in 2017 for a Badgers team that was 27-5 overall and 18-0 in the NCAA Division II Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. She was a three-year starter at Newman and helped the Greenies win the LHSAA Division IV state championship as a sophomore in 2013.
McClain played four years of club ball, most recently with Blue Crab. "Angele is an athletic player who will be strong at the net in the opposite and middle positions," Kendrick said.
McClain's mother, Lisa, is a longtime XULA employee and the associate director of the university's Office of Campus Ministry.
Angely helped her club team finish third this year in the Interpole championships. "Marine is a steady attacker with outstanding ball-control skills," Kendrick said, "and she will be a force at the outside attacker position."
Dada produced 132 kills, 48 blocks and 39 digs as a senior starter for Mansfield Summit. She made her school's honor roll every quarter, was a soprano section leader in the choir for three years and head dance choreographer as a senior. Dada played two years of club volleyball, most recently with NRG.
"Lola is a dynamic athlete," Kendrick said. "She will add depth in the middle."
Formilan helped her club team, Bruel Volley Bassano, finish second in Italy's national finals in 2017.
XULA's previously announced signee was middle blocker Jordan Johnson of Kansas City, Mo.
The Gold Nuggets will open their 11th season Aug. 24 in the Mid-South Crossover Tournament at Bowling Green, Ky., against Cumberlands at 4 p.m. and Georgetown (Ky.) at 8 p.m. The first home date will be Aug. 31 with matches against Point at 11 a.m. and Mobile at 7 p.m. in the Big Easy Blastoff at the Convocation Center. XULA won the last seven Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships and earned seven consecutive automatic bids during that time to the NAIA National Championship.
| 2018-19 XULA Volleyball Signees | |||||
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Yr.* | Hometown | High School (Previous College) |
| Marine Angely | OH | 5-11 | Fr. | Sivry, France | Lycee Arthur Varquaux |
| Damilola Dada | RS/MB | 5-9 | Fr. | Grand Prairie, Texas | Mansfield Summit |
| Beatrice Formilan | L | 5-10 | Fr. | Santorso, Italy | Liceo Scientifico Tron |
| Jordan Johnson | MB | 6-1 | Fr. | Kansas City, Mo. | Liberty |
| Angele McClain | MB/RS | 5-8 | So. | New Orleans, La. | Newman (Spring Hill) |
* XULA athletic classification in 2018-19 Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold | |||||
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