XU Gold Nuggets set school record with 12th victory of season

XU head women's volleyball coach
Christabell Hamilton

NEW ORLEANS -- Taylor Reuther's nine kills, five digs and three aces Friday led Xavier University of Louisiana in a 25-8, 25-7, 20-25, 25-6 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's volleyball victory against Philander Smith at Dillard's Dent Hall.

The Gold Nuggets (12-4, 6-0) set a school record for victories in a season -- the 2010 team won 11 -- and assured themselves of a winning record in the GCAC for the first time in the program's four seasons. Xavier entered the year 5-17 in regular-season conference matches.

Reuther, who hit .000 in Xavier's previous two matches, played only in the first and fourth sets and hit .500 in 14 attempts. She served all her aces consecutively during the final set.

Kerris Crier had six kills, three blocks and hit .455 in 11 attempts for Xavier, and Moira Kirk continued her hot stretch by hitting .625 with five kills in eight attempts, three aces and four blocks. Kirk hit .480 in the Gold Nuggets' past seven matches and was errorless on attack in four of those contests.

Xavier hit .490 in its three winning sets, but a minus-.056 in the third set dropped the Nuggets to .264 for the match. The Nuggets served a season-best 18 aces, led by Jeanay Butler's season-high-tying four. Nine of the 11 Nuggets who served had at least one ace, and Morgan Stallings and Alexandria Rencher had two apiece.

Celeste Poe and Butler led Xavier with eight digs apiece. All 12 Nuggets played at least two sets, and Kirk and Crier were the only Nuggets to start in all four.

Philander Smith (1-10, 0-3), a first-year GCAC member, lost its seventh straight. But the Lady Panthers extended the match by scoring six of the final seven points in set three. Whitney McDaniel scored the final three points on kills.

Dillard is playing host to 12 matches involving six of the GCAC's eight teams Friday and Saturday. Xavier will play Tougaloo at 7 p.m. Friday, then close its weekend against Edward Waters in a 10 a.m. Saturday match.

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

Legion Field to get luxury suites in time for Magic City Classic

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama --- About 1,600 aluminum bleachers along Legion Field's north end zone are ripped out and will be replaced with luxury suites in time for the stadium's largest sporting event later this month.

Work is under way to install new covered seating just weeks before the Magic City Classic. The annual matchup between Alabama A&M and Alabama State universities draws 60,000 to 70,000 inside the stadium and thousands more outside. This year's game will be Oct. 29 at 2:30 p.m.

Mayor William Bell said the seating upgrade is part of an effort to make the 84-year old stadium palatable to tenants, including the Classic, the BBVA Compass Bowl and the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship.

"Shortly after I came into office in 2010 we had meetings with representatives of ESPN, BBVA Compass, SWAC, UAB, Alabama A&M and Alabama State to discuss the condition of Legion Field and its appearance for the various events we had out there," Bell said. "We made a commitment at that time we would make the facility more friendly for hospitality."

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Florida A&M Homecoming Special

FAMU Ready to Face Howard - at Homecoming Game

Tallahassee, Florida -- Protecting home field has been the one thing that has been most consistent for the Florida A&M football team. They pulled out an exciting 28-22 victory over Ft. Valley State and exploded for a 34-7 win over the Deleware State Hornets.

Tomorrow, amidst the distractions of the homecoming festivities, the team's primary focus will be to keep things as routine as possible. Linebacker Demarius "D.J." Folsom, who had 6 tackles (3 solo, 1.5 TFL) and an interception in the previous contest, said that maintaining the normal regimen won't be as difficult as some would think. Especially for the seniors.

"Basically all we have to do is focus and stay discipline," Folsom said. "Every week the goal is to focus and execute and if we do that then everything else should and will handle itself."

Folsom also said that the emotions of this being his last homecoming as a member of the team will lead to an even greater effort from an individual standpoint. "My emotions are going to run really high," Folsom said. "I'm going to be high-wired, but overall I'm just going to have fun with it."

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Hampton Pirates to play host to Princeton

HAMPTON, VA – The Hampton University football team will return to Armstrong Stadium on Saturday, when the Pirates take on Princeton at 1 p.m. to celebrate Alumni Day and Military Appreciation Day.

The Pirates (2-2) are coming off their bye week, having last played on Sept. 22 – a 35-31 loss at Bethune-Cookman on ESPNU. Princeton (1-2) picked up its first win of the season this past Saturday, beating Ivy League foe Columbia 24-21.

The Pirates are 1-0 all-time against Princeton, having won the only previous meeting between the two schools 48-27 in 2007 in Princeton, N.J. Saturday’s contest will mark the Tigers’ first-ever trip to Armstrong Stadium. The Pirates are 2-1 all-time against schools in the Ivy League, including their 1-0 mark against Princeton. Hampton is 1-1 all-time against Columbia, but the two teams haven’t met since the 1907 season, when Columbia took a 1-0 win.



Hampton’s 42 points against Old Dominion on Sept. 17 were the most the Pirates scored in a game since beating North Carolina A&T 35-21 on Sept. 18, 2010. The last time Hampton cracked the 40-point mark was on Sept. 20, 2008, when the Pirates defeated North Carolina A&T 44-7. Hampton followed that with 31 points at Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 22.

Thanks in large part to its offensive performances at ODU and Bethune-Cookman, Hampton, guided by first-year offensive coordinator Willie Snead III, is second in the MEAC in both scoring offense (29.2 points per game) and total offense (397.0 yards per game).

For the season, senior quarterback David Legree (Brooklyn, N.Y.) is completing 61 percent of his passes (75-for-123) for 852 yards and five touchdowns so far this season. Legree is second in the MEAC in passing, averaging 213.0 yards per game, while also sitting seventh in the MEAC with 59.5 rushing yards per contest.



Sophomore running back Antwon Chisholm (Belle Glade, Fla.), the reigning MEAC Rookie of the Year, is averaging 4 6 yards per carry, and is currently second in the MEAC in rushing with an average of 76.2 rushing yards per game despite his struggles against Old Dominion.

Sophomore linebacker Delbert Tyler (Monroeville, Pa.) is currently third in the MEAC in tackles with 42, averaging 10.5 per game, while junior linebacker Lyndell Gibson (Virginia Beach, Va.), a Virginia Tech transfer, is fifth in the conference with 40 tackles, an average of 10.0 per game. Junior defensive back Justin Blake (Piscataway, N.J.) is eighth in the MEAC with 38 tackles, 9.5 per contest.

Senior defensive back James Butts (Norfolk, Va.) is tied for fifth in the MEAC with five passes defended so far this season. Sophomore defensive end Robert Copeland (Hampton, Va.) leads the MEAC in forced fumbles with two. He also has one recorded fumble, which places him seventh in the conference.

For more information on Hampton University football, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at hamptonpirates.

By Hampton University Sports Information
VISIT: HAMPTON UNIVERSITY
VISIT: HAMPTONPIRATES

Hampton Pirates Football Video Streaming Available

Hampton, Virginia -- Starting with Saturday’s contest against Princeton, Hampton University home football games can be viewed online via live video streaming.

To access video streaming, simply visit http://www.hamptonpirates.com/showcase and complete the sign-up instructions. A fee will be charged, and fans can choose to purchase single-game ($5.95) or season passes ($20).

Saturday’s contest against Princeton will kick off at 1 p.m.

For more information on Hampton University football, visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

Bowie State football team drops third in a row

Bowie, Maryland -- After opening the season at 3-0, the Bowie State University football team fell to 3-3 with a 49-20 loss to Fairmont State on Thursday night in Fairmont, W.Va. Bowie State scored the game's first points on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Andre Johnson (Surrattsville) to Keith Brown (Suitland) with 5 minutes, 59 seconds to go in the first quarter.

But 2 1/2 minutes later, Fairmont State began a barrage of 35 unanswered points on the first of two touchdown passes in the game by Logan Moore. Fairmont State scored three touchdowns in the final 6:41 of the second quarter and led 35-6 at halftime.



Johnson had a 4-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, and Dominique Budd tossed a 9-yard touchdown pass to Reginald McIntyre with 1:13 to play in the fourth quarter for Bowie State's only points of the second half. The Bulldogs moved the ball well, amassing 401 yards of total offense, but committed three turnovers.

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Prairie View hits .405, hands Xavier first home loss

NEW ORLEANS -- Jasmine Houston and Christine Ruckman produced nine kills apiece Thursday, leading hot-hitting Prairie View A&M to a 25-17, 25-17, 25-14 women's volleyball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana.

The Lady Panthers (4-13) had a .405 attack percentage -- .500 in the second set -- and earned their first road victory of the season in 12 attempts. They gave the Gold Nuggets (11-4) their first home loss in seven matches this year.

Prairie View, an NCAA Division I team, had a 40-20 advantage in kills. Maegan Coleman and Bruna Menezes had six kills apiece for the Lady Panthers, and Jasmine Wells had five. Skye Terrell and Breanna McNeil each served two aces, and Shanice Faison had nine digs.

Xavier, an NAIA team losing for the second time in 11 matches, got six kills from Taylor Reuther and five from Moira Kirk. Celeste Poe and Chinedu Echebelem each served two aces,

The Gold Nuggets never led after 8-7 in the first set, 4-3 in the second set and 7-6 in the third. Prairie View scored the final six points of the first set and had runs of 6-0 in the second set and 12-1 in the third. Houston and Arbuckle ended the match in the 65th minute with their block of a Kirk attack.

Xavier, in a stretch of five matches in four days, will play Friday at Dillard's Dent Hall against Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opponents Philander Smith at noon and Tougaloo at 7 p.m. The Gold Nuggets are 5-0 in the GCAC and hold a one-match lead over SUNO. Prairie View will travel to Baton Rouge, La., and play Jackson State at 11 a.m. Friday in Southern University's tournament.

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