Xavier Gold Nuggets bounce back, win at UNO in four sets

Taylor Reuther

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Taylor Reuther had 18 kills, 10 digs and three aces, and Xavier University of Louisiana recovered from a pair of four-point deficits Tuesday to defeat the University of New Orleans 22-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-13 at UNO's Human Performance Center.

The Gold Nuggets (16-6) avoided consecutive losses for the sixth time this season and swept their two-match season series with the Privateers (2-17).

Moira Kirk had 12 kills, a season-high-tying seven digs and hit .526 for Xavier. Patrice Hightower had three kills, 31 assists and a career-high 13 digs, and Celeste Poe had 11 digs.

UNO closed the first set with an 8-3 run — Tory Hearn clinched with consecutive aces — and led 9-5 in the next set. But from that point the Privateers committed 13 unforced errors, and Reuther had two kills in the final eight rallies to help Xavier even the match

"Early on it was a nightmare for us," Xavier coach Christabell Hamilton said. "We kept making all kinds of mistakes. I didn't see the confidence on their faces. I called timeout and told our players if they stay together, they'll win this match. I told them they were talented enough to do this. They stuck through it and came back."

Xavier trailed 21-17 in the third set before fighting off a set point and scoring the final five points. That's where Hamilton's concerns ended.

In the final set the Gold Nuggets hit .500 and got three Reuther kills and two Jeanay Butler aces during a 13-2 run which gave Xavier a 19-7 lead. Twelve rallies later, Poe assisted on Hightower's match-ending kill.

"We took control in the final set," Hamilton said. "I was so glad we ended the way we did because that's the team I've been looking to see since our conference matches at Dillard several weeks ago. I hope we can carry this momentum on and transition to Faulkner and SUNO later this week."

Elena Villar had 13 kills and 10 digs for the Privateers, who have lost 12 straight, and Hearn had 13 kills and four aces. Laila Hansen had 10 kills.

Reuther recorded her most kills in nine matches and produced her team-leading eighth kill-dig double-double of the season. Kirk hit better than .500 for the seventh time this season, including both UNO matches.

Xavier outhit UNO .232 to .119 and had a 63-50 advantage in digs. The Privateers committed 56 errors, 20 more than the Gold Nuggets.

Xavier finished 5-2 this season against NCAA Division I opponents.

The Gold Nuggets will play Faulkner at 3 p.m. Friday at The Barn, then travel to Gulf Coast Athletic Conference and city rival SUNO for a 6 p.m. Saturday match. Xavier has clinched a share of the GCAC regular-season championship and needs a victory against SUNO or at home against Dillard on Nov. 5 to win the title outright.

Box score

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

Howard sees win over S.C. State as step in return to prominence

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Gary Harrell remembers fondly the proud days of Howard University football.

Known as "The Flea," the 5-7 former wide receiver is the school's career leader in receptions (184) and a member of the 1993 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship Bison team led by quarterback Jay "Sky" Walker. Returning to his alma mater this past year as head coach, Harrell inherited a program far removed from those glory days and owners of the longest losing streak in conference play.

Even worse, Harrell saw a talented group that seemed more focused on individual goals and not sharing his same level of passion.

"The biggest problem here when I first got here was that the guys were separated," Harrell said during Tuesday's MEAC teleconference. "They didn't spend a whole lot of time with each other as far as the cafeteria and the dorm. They didn't spend enough time together, so we made sure we brought them together off the field and now you can see it on the field that they really trust each other. Now it's not (linebacker) Keith Pough making plays. He trusts his teammates that they're going to make the plays as well. So that was the biggest thing in changing the culture."



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XU's Jacksons add to their collection of GCAC weekly awards

Xavier University's Kwame and Zahri Jackson
GCAC cross country individual champions in 2011

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Zahri and Kwame Jackson, both individual champions Saturday at the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships, are the GCAC Runners of the Week for Oct. 17-23.

The Jacksons are freshmen siblings from Kingwood, Texas, a suburb of Houston, and graduates of Kingwood Park High School.

Zahri Jackson extended her XU women's record with her fifth GCAC weekly award of the season, tied Ebony Harding's XU career record and matched the GCAC women's season record set by Spring Hill's Kate Imwalle in 2009. Kwame Jackson won the men's award for the third time.

Zahri Jackson ran 5,000 meters in 19 minutes, 20.40 seconds to score her second consecutive individual victory and defeat defending champion Monicah Jepkemboi of SUNO by 11 seconds. The winning time is the second fastest by a female at the GCAC Championships in the past 11 seasons.

Less than an hour later, Kwame Jackson ran 8,000 meters in 28:12.09 for his first collegiate victory. He defeated teammates and former GCAC champions Ray Walston (2009) and Matt Pieri (2010).

Both the Gold Nuggets and Gold Rush won their sixth consecutive GCAC team championships. Both squads earned automatic bids to the NAIA National Championships on Nov. 19 at Vancouver, Wash.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: GCACSPORTS

Stillman, UWA dream of postseason

Tuscaloosa, Alabama -- Teddy Keaton and Will Hall, a couple of young, enthusiastic head coaches, are preparing their football teams to face in-state rivals Thursday.

If Keaton's Stillman Tigers and Hall's West Alabama Tigers win, they'll enhance their chances of qualifying for the NCAA Division II playoffs. Stillman and UWA are ranked among the top 10 in Super Region Two. Both coaches know that the top six teams qualify, and both know that the best way to get there is to keep winning.

Hall said the top two teams in the region get byes for the first playoff round. The No. 3 seed opens against No. 6, and No. 4 will play No. 5.

Stillman plays at home Thursday, facing Miles College in a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game. Both teams are 4-1 in league play, and the winner claims the West Division championship.

“That's how big this game is,” Keaton said.



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Classic matchup comes to town

Shreveport, Louisiana -- This year’s Shreveport Classic may actually live up to the name. Prairie View comes into the Classic — a Panthers “home’’ game — in first place in the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s Western Division. Prairie View is 4-3 overall and 4-2 in the SWAC.

The Panthers’ opponent on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Independence Stadium is a Jackson State team which is in second place in the Eastern Division. Jackson State is 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the conference.

First-year Prairie View head coach Heishma Northern doesn’t need a primer on his opponent or its historical significance.

“One of the first collegiate football games I ever went to was Grambling versus Jackson State. My uncle was a running back. It was in Jackson Memorial Stadium,’’ Northern said. “My only loss as a senior football player at Southern University was to Jackson State University. I’ve been second in the conference and third in the nation to a guy from Jackson State. My football and my relationship with Jackson goes back a long way.’’

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DSU gets fresh start after bye; Team hopes for homecoming win, end to 5-game losing streak

Dover, Delaware -- Delaware State's football team is coming back from a much-needed week off. Now a weekend's worth of homecoming festivities await the Hornets as they look for reason to celebrate on the field.

Delaware State (2-5 overall, 0-4 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) hosts Morgan State (4-3, 3-1) in its homecoming game on Saturday at 1 at Alumni Stadium.

"I'm hoping we got a lot of stuff corrected and hopefully we can get off to a fast start for a change," DSU quarterback Nick Elko said. "That's what we're looking to do against Morgan State. Our main goal for this week is to try and get our seniors a win for homecoming. We want to send them out the right way."

First-year DSU head coach Kermit Blount said the bye week gave his players a chance to step away from a program mired in a five-game losing streak.




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S.C. State's Pough taking ‘caged animal' to Howard

Orangeburg, South Carolina -- With Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title hopes on life support and mounting injuries at key positions, South Carolina State resembles the proverbial "wounded animal" entering Saturday's game at Howard University.

This is exactly the position head football coach Buddy Pough seems comfortable with in facing a second straight opponent looking to snap an eight-game losing streak to the Bulldogs.

"It's a better football team than (Florida A&M) was last week, I guarantee you, and we go there to play this week," Pough said. "So we've got our hands full. It'll be a tough task and it's a great scenario for us," Pough said. "We get to be a little bit the caged animal a little bit. We get to try to get our backs from against the wall. So we get a chance to really get a look to see just what's inside some of our guys. We've got to go up there and win. We feel like this is a must-win for us and we'll see what happens from there."

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Wilson named assistant athletic director at Virginia State

John Wilson Jr.

Petersburg, Virginia -- John Wilson, Jr. has been appointed as the Assistant Athletic Director at Virginia State University. Prior to joining VSU, Wilson was most recently the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania. Wilson’s coaching experience spans over 30 years at the collegiate and high school level.

Wilson has had some success coaching, however he is proud of his many former players that have earned their degrees. “My biggest thrill as it relates to coaching is to see former players graduate.” During his time at Lock Haven there have been 26 Scholar Athlete Awards and 12 All PSAC West Division Athletes. In 2003, Coach Wilson led his team to the school’s first playoff appearance since 1996 and on his way to being honored as the PSAC-West Coach of the Year. While an assistant at Millersville University, Coach Wilson was part of 4 NCAA II tourney appearances including a trip to the Elite Eight and two PSAC titles as well as four PSAC-East titles. During his one-year stint at William Penn HS his Cagers won the York County Title and a State Playoff appearance on their way to a 25-6 record.

Wilson has been active with community, campus, and NCAA activities and projects. He has volunteered his services for organizations such as the Keystone Central School District Reading Program, AAUW and “Communities that Care.” He was a member of the board for the “Second Mile” in Lock Haven as well as being a member of the Lock Haven Kiwanis Club and a volunteer officer for the Fraternal Order of Eagles. Wilson served on the NCAA II Men’s Basketball National Committee from 2004-2007 and played a major role in the birth of the NABC NCAA II All-Star game. Wilson has been a panelist for the PSAC Minority Coaching Symposium as well as a mentor at the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Conference.

After graduating from Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas with a Bachelor’s Degree in Recreation, Wilson began his career as a Physical Instructor for the Chicago Park District. He has also worked as a Program Coordinator at the Carver Community Center in Kokomo, IN and in the same position at the Lititz Community Center in Lititz, PA. Wilson has earned his Master’s Degree in Sport Management from California University of Pennsylvania.

“I am looking forward to my new role as a collegiate athletic administrator. I believe there is no better opportunity than beginning this chapter of my life and career at Virginia State University and the CIAA.”

Wilson is married (Jackie) and they have a family that includes four children and two grandchildren.

Head Men’s Basketball Lock Haven University of PA 1999-2011

Head Boy’s Varsity Basketball William Penn HS in York,PA 1998-1999

Assistant Men’s Basketball Millersville University of PA 1988-1998

Assistant Men’s Basketball Malcolm X College Chicago, IL 1980-1985

By Virginia State University Sports Information

Xavier Gold Nuggets No. 16, their best preseason rank since '04

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana is No. 16 in the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 announced Monday. It's the Gold Nuggets' highest preseason ranking since the 2004-05 season, when they were 15th.

Xavier, 27-7 this past season and two-time defending Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament champion, returns 13 letterwomen and three starters. The Nuggets will attempt to reach 20 victories for the 19th time in 20 seasons and qualify for the NAIA Division I National Championship for the 16th time in 18 seasons. This past season the Gold Nuggets reached the second round of nationals for the first time since 2003.

Xavier was 22nd in the 2010-11 preseason. It's the first time since a four-year streak from 2001-04 that the Nuggets are preseason top-25 in consecutive years.

Three XU opponents this season — No. 3 Oklahoma City, No. 19 Langston and No. 21 Shorter — also are ranked. Langston will visit the Nuggets on Nov. 25, and Shorter will visit Dec. 3 and play host to the Nuggets on Jan. 4. Xavier will play Oklahoma City in Las Vegas on Dec. 20.

The other GCAC team to receive votes was SUNO, which collected nine points and ranks 34th. Xavier will play host to the Lady Knights on Jan. 10 and visit SUNO on Feb. 6. Three others which received votes — Southern Poly, Georgetown (Ky.) and city rival Loyola — also will play the Nuggets this season.

Defending champion Azusa Pacific received all 12 first-place votes to end the 48-poll No. 1 streak of Union (Ky.), which lost 65-59 to Azusa in the national championship game on March 22.

The first regular-season poll will be announced Dec. 5.

Xavier will travel to SEC opponent LSU for a Nov. 2 exhibition, then open the regular season Nov. 4 against Florida Memorial at The Barn. Both games will tip off at 7 p.m.

NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25(first-place votes in parentheses — includes 2010-11 final records) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Azusa Pacific (12) 33-5 312 3 2 Union (Tenn.) 35-2 302 1 3 Oklahoma City 27-4 290 4 4 Shawnee State 27-10 280 tie-24 5 Lewis-Clark State 29-5 266 10 6-tie Freed-Hardeman 27-9 248 7 6-tie Bethel (Tenn.) 27-7 248 6 8 Campbellsville 30-4 234 2 9 Westminster (Utah) 28-7 222 8 10 Vanguard 18-11 221 19 11 Southern Nazarene 27-7 220 18 12 Olivet Nazarene 26-6 202 16 13 Saint Xavier 24-6 179 12 14 Lindsey Wilson 24-9 175 15 15 Lee (Tenn.) 25-7 174 tie-13 16 Xavier 27-7 166 20 17 Lubbock Christian 23-10 158 22 18 Columbia (Mo.) 28-6 157 11 19 Langston 28-5 152 tie-13 20 Westmont 20-10 124 23 21 Shorter 24-8 110 RV 22 Evangel 21-9 85 tie-24 23 William Woods 30-5 77 21 24 Rogers State 23-10 72 RV 25 Belhaven 24-9 58 RV Others receiving votes: The Master's 57, Carroll (Mont.) 39, Cumberlands 26, Southern Poly 22, Robert Morris (Chicago) 18, Avila 15, Point Loma Nazarene 11, Texas Wesleyan 10; SUNO 9, Loyola 7, Wayland Baptist 5, John Brown 4, Biola 3, Voorhees 1, Rocky Mountain 1, Benedictine (Kan.) 1, Georgetown (Ky.) 1.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

Hayes: WSSU fans need to step up

Winston Salem, North Carolina -- Athletics director Bill Hayes of Winston-Salem State couldn't help but show his displeasure with the home crowd at Saturday's 59-7 win over Edward Waters. There were around 4,500 fans at Bowman Gray Stadium on a perfect afternoon for football, but Hayes wants and needs more.

"I'm trying to get folks in those seats; and it's funny because when I first got back here, a lot of people said they were going to get behind me and this program," Hayes said. "Now that we're winning they say we know what the result is going to be, so why go? I don't understand that thinking."

Hayes said that WSSU fans are looking too far ahead and are trying to buy tickets for the CIAA championship game on Nov. 12 in Durham against Elizabeth City State. He wants fans to make it a point to help during the regular season as well.

If the 8-0 Rams make it to the Division II playoffs, Hayes is hoping to play a home game but needs to have good attendance figures to show the NCAA.

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XU Gold Rush in preseason top 25 for 2nd straight season

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Xavier University of Louisiana is No. 21 in the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 announced Monday. It's the first time in coach Dannton Jackson's nine seasons that the Gold Rush are preseason top-25 in consecutive years.

Xavier, 27-6 and the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament runner-up this past season, returns nine lettermen and four starters. The Rush will attempt to qualify for the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship for the sixth time in eight seasons. This past season the XU men won their first 13 games and qualified for nationals with their most victories since the 1983-84 season.

Xavier was 20th in the 2010-11 preseason and spent three weeks in the top 10.

The other GCAC team to receive votes was defending tournament champion Tougaloo, which is 13th. Xavier will visit Tougaloo on Jan. 23 and play host to the Bulldogs on Feb. 13. Two teams which received votes, Mobile and William Carey, will play Xavier in home-and-away non-conference series this season.

Defending champion Pikeville is the preseason No. 1 after receiving five of 12 first-place votes. Four other teams received first-place votes.

Earlier in the day Xavier's women's team earned a preseason No. 16 ranking. That makes Xavier one of four NAIA Division I schools — the others are Azusa Pacific, Evangel and Union (Tenn.) — with men's and women's basketball teams to earn preseason top-25 rankings in 2010-11 and 2011-12.

The Gold Rush will open the season at 7 p.m. Nov. 2 at The Barn against Carver College of Atlanta.

The first regular-season poll will be announced Dec. 5.

NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25(first-place votes in parentheses — includes 2010-11 final records) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Pikeville (5) 30-7 300 24 2 Mountain State (3) 33-4 295 3 3 Robert Morris (Chicago) (2) 32-2 293 1 4 Concordia (Calif.) (1) 32-4 288 2 5 Martin Methodist (1) 34-3 268 6 6 LSU-Shreveport 30-4 255 4 7 Oklahoma Baptist 24-9 254 9 8 Georgetown (Ky.) 32-5 240 7 9 Azusa Pacific 29-6 233 8 10 Texas Wesleyan 30-4 223 6 11 Rogers State 22-12 202 25 12 Shorter 23-8 188 RV 13 Tougaloo 27-4 185 11 14 Columbia (Mo.) 26-6 166 18 15-tie Biola 28-6 158 13 15-tie Montana State Northern 24-9 158 19 17 St. Catharine 22-9 149 14 18 Southern Nazarene 26-8 141 10 19 Evangel 26-9 132 15 20 Southern Poly 23-10 121 RV 21 Xavier 27-6 94 17 22 Union (Tenn.) 26-7 88 12 23 Carroll (Mont.) 23-9 75 22 24 Saint Xavier 19-13 66 NR 25 Fresno Pacific 20-11 63 RV Others receiving votes: Park 55, Lee (Tenn.) 45, MidAmerica Nazarene 33, Mobile 31, Oklahoma Christian 26, Campbellsville 24, Our Lady of the Lake 22, Freed-Hardeman 21, Life 16, MontanaWestern 12, Westminster (Utah) 3, William Carey 1, Northwestern Oklahoma 1, St. Francis (Ill.) 1, Benedictine (Kan.) 1, Westmont 1, Emmanuel (Ga.) 1, Cumberland 1, Cumberlands 1.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

QB Rivers likely starter for Grambling this week

Grambling, Louisiana -- Doug Williams wasn't quite as confident as D.J. Williams when he saw his son change the final play call of Grambling's 30-24 victory Saturday at the line of scrimmage.

The Tigers had broken the huddle planning to run the ball, play conservatively and set up a Zoltan Riazzo field goal — until D.J. saw single coverage on receiver Mario Louis. The freshman quarterback said he knew Louis would come down with the ball, but the veteran coach was a bit more nervous.

"You stand on the sidelines and you saw him change the play, and I'm sayin', 'What are you doing?'" the coach said. "We always tell 'em all the time, 'Be football players.' We always talk about instincts. I'm gonna give credit to Mario and D.J. and the offensive line."



D.J. took the final two snaps against the Delta Devils after sophomore Frank Rivers completed 14 of his 23 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns, both to Louis.

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