Nuggets survive Panthers, earn 100th GCAC victory

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Xavier University of Louisiana reached a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference volleyball milestone Saturday, but the Gold Nuggets needed rallies in the first and third sets to defeat Philander Smith 25-20, 25-11, 26-24.
     
The Gold Nuggets (9-4, 1-0) won a GCAC regular-season match for the 100th time — with just 19 losses. They'll get a chance at No. 101 when they play Rust at 4 p.m. today, also at Philander Smith's Mims Gym.
     
XULA rallied from a 12-9 deficit in the first set and 19-16 and 24-23 deficits in the third.
     
"We're happy to start conference play with a win," XULA head coach Pat Kendrick said. "We expect all of the GCAC to bring their A-game when they step on the floor."
     
Two A-gamers for Philander Smith (5-6, 1-1) were Jade Cregette and DeAundria Green, who hit a combined .441 in 34 attacks with only one error. Cregette hit .474 with nine kills — she hit minus-.714 against XULA a year ago — and Green hit .400 with seven kills.
     
Kayla Black led XULA with 13 kills, 11 digs and three aces. Vivica Price-Spraggins and Ema Causevic had seven kills apiece, and Zora Barnett hit .500 with six kills and two blocks.
     
Eva Le Guillou had 28 assists and two aces for XULA, and Taylor McGee had 19 digs.
     
Lela Collier had 15 digs for Philander Smith.
     
Black had four kills and two aces, and Causevic had three kills to help the Gold Nuggets erase their first-set deficit. Five Nuggets produced kills in the third after trailing 19-16, and Bria Mayes ended the 83-minute match with a kill assisted by Tiffany Phillips.
     
XULA outhit Philander Smith .288 to .137 — .350 to .129 in the final two sets — and had advantages of 46-28 in kills, 40-25 in assists, 7-2 in aces, 46-38 in digs and 3-2 in blocks.
     
XULA is 16-0 all-time against Philander Smith. The teams will meet at 4 p.m. Nov. 2 in New Orleans at Dillard's Dent Hall.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletics Director for Communications
Department of Athletics & Recreation
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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