NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana volleyball head coach Pat Kendrickannounced Tuesday the signing of seven newcomers for the 2019-20 academic year.Joining the Gold Nuggets next season will be:
• Zora Barnett, a 5-foot-11 middle blocker from Chicago and Oak Park River Forest High School. Barnett will major in mechanical engineering at XULA.
• Kamryn Brown, a 6-foot right-side hitter from Chicago and Kenwood Academy. Brown will be a chemistry/pre-pharmacy major.
• Bria Mayes, a 6-1 right-side from Houston and Lamar High School. Mayes will be a biology/pre-medical major.
• Sierra "Si Si" Mitchell, a 5-7 libero from Minneapolis South High School. Mitchell will major in business.
• Melody Scales, a 5-7 setter from Blacksburg, Va., and Blacksburg High School. Scales will be a psychology/pre-medical major.
• Maya Smith, a 5-11 middle blocker from Peachtree Corner, Ga., and Norcross High School. Smith will be a chemistry/pre-pharmacy major.
• Jennifer Torres, a 5-3 libero from Jacksonville, Fla., Trinity Christian Academy and two-year Florida State College. Torres will be a biology/pre-medical major.
"I'm very excited for this incoming class," Kendrick said. "As a group they bring a great deal of athleticism and skill to the court, and they will be great additions to the classroom and the Xavier community as well."
Barnett, Brown, Mayes, Mitchell, Scales and Smith will enter XULA as freshman. Torres will be a junior.
Barnett was a three-year starter at Oak Park River Forest. In 2018 she was all-conference and her team's MVP. Barnett's eight kills and four blocks in the Class 4A Lane Regional final helped the Huskies win their first regional championship in five years. She played eight years of club volleyball, most recently with 1st Alliance.
Brown was a four-year starter — Kenwood in 2018 and Morgan Park Academy from 2015-17. She helped all four teams qualify for regional playoffs. She was her team's MVP in 2016. Brown played nine years of club, most recently with 1st Alliance, and four times played for teams that qualified for nationals and placed in the gold division.
Mayes was academic all-state in 2018 and all-district three times at Lamar, including first-team selections as a sophomore and junior. She helped the Lady Texans qualify for state playoffs three straight years. Mayes played club four years, most recently with the Houston Juniors, and was on a 15s team that qualified for the National Junior Olympics and a 16s team that reached the AAU national tournament.
Mitchell was Minneapolis South's primary libero and first-team all-conference her final three seasons. She produced more than 1,000 career digs. Mitchell helped her team finish second in conference in 2018. She played five years of club, most recently with Kokoro, and helped her team qualify for nationals twice.
Scales was second-team all-district in 2018 and a two-year starter. Her career totals included 869 assists and 722 digs. Scales helped Blacksburg reach the Class 4A state quarterfinals in 2017 and the semifinals in 2018. She played club five years, most recently with Coastal River.
Smith was a four-year starter at Norcross. In 2018 she hit .462 with 221 kills, 68 aces and 81 blocks for a team that won 32 matches and reached the round of 16 in the Class AAAAAAA state playoffs. Smith played club seven years, most recently with Tsunami.
Torres arrived at Florida State College as a libero but became her team's primary setter in 2018. Last season she produced 483 assists, 16 aces and 222 digs. She had 11 matches with 10-or-more digs. Her 2018 match highs included 19 digs, 52 assists and three aces. Torres is a member of FSC's chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa national honor society.
XULA in 2018 won Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships and qualified for the NAIA National Championship tournament — all for the eighth consecutive year. The Gold Nuggets finished 26-7 and tied the school record for victories in a season.
| 2019-20 XULA Volleyball Signees | |||||
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Yr.* | Hometown | High School (Previous College) |
| Zora Barnett | MB | 5-11 | Fr. | Chicago, Ill. | Oak Park River Forest |
| Kamryn Brown | RS | 6-0 | Fr. | Chicago, Ill. | Kenwood Academy |
| Bria Mayes | RS | 6-1 | Fr. | Houston, Texas | Lamar |
| Si Si Mitchell | L | 5-7 | Fr. | Minneapolis, Minn. | South |
| Melody Scales | S | 5-7 | Fr. | Blacksburg, Va. | Blacksburg |
| Maya Smith | MB | 5-11 | Fr. | Peachtree Corner, Ga. | Norcross |
| Jennifer Torres | L | 5-3 | Jr. | Jacksonville, Fla. | Trinity Christian Academy (Florida State JC) |
| * XULA athletic classification in 2019-20 Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletics Director for Communications Department of Athletics & Recreation XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA XULAgold.com twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold | |||||
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