Sizzling September! Nuggets win at SUNO, move to 7-0 in GCAC

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana volleyball finished September unbeaten after its 25-11, 25-19, 25-19 victory at SUNO Saturday.
     
The Gold Nuggets (15-4 overall, 7-0 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference) were 7-0 during the month — the fourth time in the program's 12-year history that XULA did not lose during a calendar month.
     
"We've started well in the first half of the conference schedule," XULA head coach Pat Kendrick said. "We're continuing to work on our consistency as we move toward GCAC Tournament play."
     
Bria Mayes had nine kills and hit .533, and Jaida Dowd and Vivica Price-Spraggins had seven kills apiece for the Gold Nuggets, who finished at .308 and hit .300 for the first time in 14 matches.
     
Other XULA statistical leaders were Tiffany Phillips and Eva Le Guillou with 14 assists apiece, Taylor McGee and Melody Scales with two aces apiece, McGee and Jennifer Torres with nine digs apiece and Price-Spraggins and Adili Rikondja with five blocks apiece.
     
Destinee Cain had eight kills, Kennedy Williams seven and Taikedra Joseph six for SUNO (1-6, 1-6), and Kennedy Cooper had 12 digs.
     
XULA limited SUNO to .099 hitting and had advantages of 40-26 in kills, 35-20 in assists, 8-0 in aces, 44-34 in digs and 10-1 in blocks.
     
XULA closed the first set with an 18-6 run, but SUNO played much more competitively the final two sets. Three late Price-Spraggins kills gave the Gold Nuggets the second set after trailing 13-10 and 15-14, and in the third set Mayes had three kills and Dowd two to help XULA turn a 3-0 deficit into a 15-5 lead. Mayes ended the match with a kill.
     
There were four GCAC matches Saturday at SUNO. XULA won 25-6, 25-18, 25-22 against Tougaloo in its other match. Dillard, in second place in the GCAC at 6-1, defeated SUNO 23-25, 25-16, 25-15, 25-14 and Tougaloo 25-15, 25-14, 25-22.
     
In the GCAC regular season, XULA has won:
     •  Its last 34 matches in a row.
     •  Its last 15 sets in a row.
     •  103 of its last 105 matches.
     •  102 of its last 104 sets.
     
XULA will go out of town for three matches in two days next week — 3 p.m. Friday at the University of Mobile in Mobile, Ala., then Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla., against GCAC opponents Talladega at 1 p.m. EDT and Edward Waters at 6 p.m. EDT.

BOX SCORE

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