Gold Nuggets hit .507 to storm past Philander Smith

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana hit a Convocation Center-record .507 and rolled to a 25-5, 25-10, 25-8 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference volleyball victory Saturday against Philander Smith.

The Gold Nuggets (13-2, 6-0) are 8-0 at home this season. Overall they've won 12 of their last 13 matches.

Juliana Tomasoni, Jaida Dowd and Kayla Black all produced career highs for hitting percentage. Tomasoni had 14 kills and hit .778, Dowd had eight kills and hit .800, and Black had eight kills and hit .500.

Tomasoni, who had 18 attacks, produced the most kills without an error in a match by a Gold Nugget since Moira Kirk had 14 kills against SUNO in the 2011 GCAC Tournament final. Tomasoni also had a match-high 16 digs in her ninth double-double season and served two aces to extend her streak of consecutive matches with an ace to 19.

Dowd was perfect in the first set, producing kills on all six of her attempts. Black served a career-best six aces, four during a 10-0 first-set run.

Lauryn Taylor chipped in five kills for the Gold Nuggets. Amanda Perry had seven digs, her most in a match since August, and served three aces to equal her career high. Tiffany Phillips produced 19 assists, and Eva Le Guillou had 17. Kaelan Temple served back-to-back aces in the final set.

Autumn Trimble had four kills for the Lady Panthers (4-14, 0-7), and Mikaya Gent served two aces.

XULA limited Philander Smith to minus-.110 hitting — the second straight GCAC match in which the opponent finished on the negative side — and had advantages of 41-9 in kills, 14-3 in aces and 44-20 in digs. The Gold Nuggets matched their season high for aces.

First serve was moved up three hours to 10 a.m. CDT because of the expected approach of Hurricane Nate.

XULA is 12-0 all-time against Philander Smith. They'll meet against Oct. 17 in Little Rock, Ark.

Next for the Gold Nuggets will be a 6 p.m. Thursday match at NCAA Division II Spring Hill. It will be the first of five consecutive road matches.

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Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
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MVSU Delta Devils Down UAPB Golden Lions, 38-31

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas – The Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley defeated the Golden Lions of the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 38-31, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, picking up their first win of the season.

UAPB jumped ahead with 14 unanswered points early in the contest. Their second end zone trip came at 10:58 in the second quarter. MVSU began to come alive and did not stop pressuring on both offense and defense for the remainder of the contest.

With 7:36 remaining in the first half, Dewayne Betts launched a 25-yard touchdown pass to Steven McIntosh, with a successful point after, the Delta Devils sliced the Golden Lions' lead in half (14-7). McIntosh pulled a trick out of his hat with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Darrion Harper with 1:39 remaining on the clock. The point after sailed through the uprights to knot the score at 14-all.

With 10 ticks remaining in the half, UAPB nailed a 52-yard field goal to take a three-point lead into the halftime break. Exiting the locker room, Mississippi Valley was the first to score, with Nicholas Jacquemin sending a perfect kick through the uprights, for a 42-yard field goal, once again tying the contest (17-17).

With 6:49 prominently displayed on the scoreboard in the third, Tyrone Hundley pulled down an 11-yard pass from Betts to increase the Delta Devil lead; with the PAT, MVSU went up 24-17. Just 29-seconds later, the Golden Lions found the end zone, tacked on the extra point and tied the contest at 24-24.

With 1:05 remaining in the third quarter, Mississippi Valley's Bett tossed a seven-yard pass to Quinn McElfresh to cap an 11-play, 75-yard possession. With the point after, MVSU reclaimed the lead 31-24. McIntosh sealed the victory for MVSU with a 60-yard touchdown reception from Betts. Jacquemin added the point after, pushing the Delta Devils to a 38-24 lead.

The Golden Lions attempted to rally back into the contest, however, their efforts fell short. They were able to score a final touchdown with 58 seconds remaining. With the point after, time expired with Mississippi Valley taking the contest 38-31.

The passing game for Mississippi Valley tallied 418 yards on 45 attempts and five touchdowns. Dewayne Betts went 17-27-272 and four touchdowns.

Steven McIntosh pulled down 105-yards on three receptions and two touchdowns; in addition to his touchdown pass. Jessie Bryant returned to action, pulling in 62-yards on three receptions, while Harper added 61-yards and one touchdown on three receptions.

Defensively, Patrick Harbin, Jr., set the bar. He finished the contest with five solo tackles, six assists, for a total of 11. Everett Nicholas tallied five solo and one assist for a total of six tackle, one force fumble and one fumble recovery. Bryant Jones and Amani Peoples each added six tackles. Peoples also contributed 3.0 tackles for a loss of 11-yards. Theron Chatman finished with five tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss of six-yBards and 1.0 sacks for a loss of four. Adrian Campbell pulled in an interception that he returned for 31-yards.

Mississippi Valley travels to Huntsville, Alabama, to take on the Bulldogs on October 14. Kickoff is slated for 3:00 p.m.

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MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

VSU Trojans Crush the Vikings of ECSU

ELIZABETH CITY, North Carolina -- The Virginia State University football team crushed the Vikings of Elizabeth City State University, 56-0, at Roebuck Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The visiting Trojans wasted no time, getting on the board early. A four-play 31-yard drive started the Trojans on their run as senior Trenton Cannon pushed his way in from the ECSU three-yard line to put VSU up 7-0 at 12:38 mark in the first quarter. At the 5:01 mark, quarter back Cordelral Cook connected with Zachary Parker for an 80-yard touchdown to edge the Trojans 14-0 against the Vikings. Finishing out the first quarter, following a seven-play 47-yard drive when Cordelral Cook pushed his way in the end zone for a Trojans touchdown, bringing the score to 21-0.

Keeping the same momentum in the second quarter, a seven-play 79-yard drive was put into actions when Cook carried the ball for 32 yards into the end zone. bringing the score to 28-0. To close out the first half of the game, VSU added another touchdown at the 1:27 mark when quarterback Cook ran in the end zone for nine yards. At the half, the Trojans remained in the lead, 35-0.

In the third quarter, the Trojans continued to dominate the Vikings as they added another touchdown. A 10-play 73-yard drive was executed when Cook connected with Trenton Cannon for a four-yard pass in the end zone. Cook made another connection, this time with Joshua Harris at the 5:47 mark. A nine-yard pass following 4 plays 64 yard drive put VSU up. 49-0. The Trojans rounded out the competition by adding their final touchdown of the game on a 55-yard punt return by Zachary Parker at the 4:00 mark, bringing the score to 56-0.

VSU finished the competition with 465 total offensive yards and were 3 of 8 on third down conversions. VSU made all of its PAT attempts (8) total and had a total of 196 total rushing yards and secured four rushing touchdowns.

With this win, the Trojans move to 5-0 overall, 3-0 in CIAA play and 1-0 in Northern Division play while Vikings moves to 3-3, 1-2 CIAA, and 0-1.

Individually, VSU's Trenton Cannon finished with 111 yards on the ground while Cordelral Cook had 64 yards. Cook also finished with 269 passing yards and a touchdown on a 15-of-22 and adding two touchdowns. Zachary Parker added 93 receiving yards for VSU, followed by Christian Harden (77), Joshua Harris (47), and Quincy Watts (25).

Defensively, VSU was led by Jaylen Cuffee, Kurtis Brooks, and Dhevyn Anderson who all added five tackles. Recording four tackles each for VSU were Deion Harris, Brandon Lynch, Malik Sexton, Alexzander Williams, and Will Adams

VSU returns home to the Roger Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 14 to host Northern Division rival Bowie State. Kickoff is slated 2:00 pm where the Trojans will celebrate Homecoming 2017.

For the most up-to-date information on VSU Football please visit www.govsutrojans.com and follow Trojans Athletics on Twitter @VSUsports.

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VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY TROJANS SPORTS INFORMATION

#19 Bowie State Bulldogs Roll to 41-10 Home Victory Over Chowan Hawks

BOWIE, Maryland  -- The #19 Bowie State University Bulldogs (6-0, 3-0 CIAA, 1-0 North) made it six wins in a row following Saturday's 41-10 CIAA Northern Division victory over visiting Chowan University. The Bulldogs rolled up 591 yards of total offense and Bowie State's defense held the Hawks to 298 yards of total offense.

Junior Air Hall (Bowie, Md.) threw for 346 yards (26-35-0) and three touchdowns to lead Bowie State. Hall also led the team in rushing yards with 93 on 11 carries and one score in only three quarters of play. Redshirt junior Brandon Britton (Columbia, Md.) tied a BSU single game school record for receptions with 12 for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Johnny Littlejohn (Silver Spring, Md.) and junior Taylor Johnson (Washington, D.C.) accounted for five tackles each to pace the stingy Bulldogs defense.

Bowie State racked up a season-high 35 total first downs compared to 15 for Chowan and the Bulldogs held a 32:10 to 27:50 clock advantage.

Chowan (2-4, 2-1 CIAA, 0-1 North) was paced on offense by Michael Offutt (Germantown, Md.) with a game-high 104 rushing yards on 19 carries. Isaiah Alexander (Riverview, Fla.) completed just 5-of-14 passes for 80 yards but was sacked twice and Torry Baker (Charlotte, N.C.) was the Hawks' leading receiver with 74 yards on three catches.

Dre Terry (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) and Tyler Bembry (Disputanta, Va.) led the Chowan defense with eight and seven tackles respectively.

Chowan took the games' opening kickoff 73 yards in nine plays for the first points of the afternoon at the 10:18 mark. Alexander, rushed for a one-yard score and Conner Killeen (Iverness, Fla.) added the extra point to give the Hawks the early 7-0 lead.

Bowie State trimmed the Chowan lead to 7-3 on the Bulldogs first possession of the game when sophomore Gene Carson (Accokeek, Md.) booted a 40-yard field goal with 5:02 left in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs defense forced Chowan to a three and out and scored on the final play of the opening period. Hall connected with Britton for a six-yard touchdown pass, capping off a 10-play, 76-yard drive to shift the advantage back over to Bowie State at 10-7.

Hall and Britton teamed up again at the 6:54 mark of the second quarter, this time for a 21-yard touchdown and a 17-7 lead. The Bulldogs defense clamped down again on Chowan's next possession forcing another three and out. Hall rushed for a five-yard touchdown with 3:02 remaining before halftime and Carson's PAT pushed Bowie State's lead to 24-7.

The Hawks scored what would be their final points of the contest with 28 seconds remaining in the second quarter following a Killeen 31-yard field goal.

However, the Bulldogs found the Hawks end zone in just 19 seconds, going 70 yards in just three plays. Hall completed a 17-yard pass to redshirt senior Kerrick Pollock (Miami, Fla.), a 27-yard pass to Britton and a 26-yard touchdown pass to junior Lansana Sesay (Bowie, Md.) to send Bowie State into halftime with a 31-10 cushion.

Bowie State put together another 13-play scoring drive, to start the third quarter with Carson kicking a 28-yard field goal to increase the Bulldogs' lead to 34-10.

Just like the first half, the Bulldogs defense forced the Hawks into yet another three and out to setup up Bowie State's final scoring drive of the game.

The Bulldogs took over with 9:40 on the third quarter clock, using up 4:14 that ended with a six-yard rushing touchdown by redshirt senior Robert Chesson (Annapolis, Md.) that accounted for the final margin of 41-10.

Bowie State will play perhaps their biggest game of the season next Saturday (10/14) traveling to also unbeaten Virginia State for the Trojans Homecoming. Virginia State (5-0, 3-0 CIAA, 1-0 North) manhandled Elizabeth City State 56-0, spoiling the Vikings' Homecoming celebration on Saturday afternoon.

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BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Grambling Pulls Out 34-21 Victory over Prairie View

DALLAS, Texas -- The Traveling Trophy remains home as the Grambling State University football team put together an overwhelming first-half offensive exhibition as the Tigers rolled to a 34-21 victory over Prairie View A&M in the 94th Annual Southwest Airlines State Fair Classic on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl.

The Tigers scored 21 unanswered second-quarter points to put away the Panthers early in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game.

It was a really good performance, but we’ve got to do a better job of cleaning up the penalties,” Grambling State head coach Broderick Fobbs said. “I thought we played well as a team. I thought we kicked the ball well with the field goals and did a good job with the special teams. Also, I thought we played well offensively and defensively. At the end of the day if we play well in all three phases then you have a chance to be very, very successful. I thought we were pretty dominate in all three phases.”

Grambling State (5-1 overall, 2-0 SWAC) took advantage of an interception by Prairie View A&M quarterback Lavell McCullers to begin the scoring.

The Panthers (2-3, 2-1) got the ball in good field possession to start the game, but McCullers’ pass was picked off by Kendall Hill to give the Tigers the ball on their own 30-yard line.


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NCCU Defense, Ground Attack Lifts Eagles over Howard

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A pair of takeaways resulted in 10 points for North Carolina Central University, including the game-winning touchdown in the third quarter, as the Eagles extend their MEAC win streak to 18 games with a 13-7 road victory over Howard University on Saturday in the nation's capital.

After Bison quarterback Caylin Newton connected with receiver Damion Gillespie for a 75-yard touchdown at 2:18 in the first quarter, NCCU (4-1, 3-0 MEAC) used an interception by linebacker Reggie Hunter to set up a field goal by Aedan Johnson, his second of the half, on the final play of the second quarter, sending Howard to the locker room with a 7-6 lead.

NCCU junior safety Davanta Reynolds recorded a takeaway for the fourth straight contest with an interception, leading to the game-winning 30-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Chauncey Caldwell to senior receiver Jacen Murphy at 7:32 of the third quarter.

The Eagles held Howard (2-3, 1-1 MEAC), averaging more than 30 points per game, to just seven points.

Redshirt-freshman Isaiah Totten rushed for a game-high 112 yards for the Eagles, while Caldwell ran for 89 yards and threw for 119 yards.

Up next, NCCU hosts the first of three consecutive home games against Gardner-Webb University on Oct. 14 at 1 p.m. inside O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium.

NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

TSU Defense Scores Three Touchdowns in 45-21 Win at EKU

RICHMOND, Kentucky -- Freshman Vincent Sellers returned two interceptions for touchdowns, while senior Terrell Bonds returned one for a score to help the Tennessee State football team pull away from Eastern Kentucky in a 45-21 victory on Saturday night. All three defensive touchdowns came in the fourth quarter for the Tigers.

The win is TSU’s first in Ohio Valley Conference play.

The Tigers (4-2, 1-2 OVC) held a 17-0 lead over EKU (1-4, 1-2 OVC) at halftime. EKU scored 21 unanswered points to seize a 21-17 lead at the start of the fourth before the Tigers took over.

Michael Hughes, who was making his first career start at quarterback, passed for two touchdowns and run for another. TSU outscored the Colonels by a 28-7 margin in the fourth quarter.

TOTALS

• The Tigers scored four touchdowns in a span of 3:42 in the final quarter
• The defense picked off four passes, including three returned for touchdowns
• The Tigers committed just three penalties for 24 yards in the contest
• EKU outgained the Tigers, 370-299
• TSU rushed for 193 yards on carries

INDIVIDUAL

• Vincent Sellers tied an NCAA FCS record with two interceptions returned for touchdowns
• The feat has been accomplished by 27 other players, last by Ray Mitchell of UNI on Nov. 23, 2013
  Michael Hughes earns his first collegiate start
• Hughes completed two of his first three attempts, before tossing an interception at the EKU two yard line
• Hughes finished with three touchdowns – two passing, one rushing – as he completed 12-of-23 for 106 yards, while running for nine yards on seven carries
• Ebenezer Ogundeko returned to action after missing the last two contests
• Ogundeko was injured on the first play of the game in the third contest of the season versus Florida A&M
• The senior defensive end finished with four stops and three quarterback hurries
• Lane Clark tied for the 10th longest field goal in TSU history with a 49-yarder late in the first quarter
• The distance matched Clark’s distance versus Florida A&M (9/16) and his mark at Southeast Missouri (11/19/16)
• Andrew Knox entered the contest with a career seven carries for eight yards; and 49 combined yards
• Knox rushed 12 times for 64 yards in the contest
• Seth Rowland led TSU in rushing with 69 yards on 11 attempts
• Patrick Smith pulled in four receptions, giving him 141 in his career
• Smith moves past Patrick Robinson (1989-92, 140) into sixth all-time at TSU
• Steven Newbold matched Smith with receptions and scored his second touchdown of the season
• Sellers and Blair Edwards led the defense with eight stops, seven solos
• Edwards added 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a pass breakup

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PHOTO GALLERY

FIRST QUARTER

• Jason Morrow recorded his first career interception to halt the Colonels first offensive possession
• The pick-off of a screen pass gave the Tigers the ball at their own 40 yard line
• TSU drove down to the EKU 21, prior to the Hughes interception
• After a three-and-out, the offense moved into field goal range for Lane Clark
• Clark converted from 49 yards for the second time this season
• Another defensive stop gave the Tigers the ball at the 24 yard line
• On the final play of the quarter, Hughes rushed for 13 yards on a 3rd and 11 to extend the drive
• TSU out gained EIU, 97-29
• The Big Blue held the Panthers to minus-one yards rushing

SECOND QUARTER

• Hughes hit Patrick Smith for an 11 yard scoring pass with 10:36 remaining
• The touchdown was the first for Hughes and the 25th for Smith
• The defense once again stood tall as they stopped EKU on a fourth-and-short at the TSU 36
• Blair Edwards shot through the middle and hit the EKU runner short of the line to gain
• After the defensive stop, the Tigers drove 64 yards on 11 plays for Hughes second passing touchdown of the game
• Hughes connected with Steven Newbold in the corner of the end zone giving the Tigers a 17-0 lead with 2:22 remaining in the half
• TSU rushed eight times for 41 yards on the scoring drive, including 25 yards on four carries by Seth Rowland
• Sabree Curtis added 15 yards on three attempts
• EKU drove 53 yards in the final two minutes of the half, only to have their field goal attempt from 41 yards out, sail wide left
• At the half, TSU outgained EKU 191-119

THIRD QUARTER

• EKU used 10 plays to move 82 yards for their first score of the contest; a one yard sneak
• The Colonels added a 10-yard touchdown pass from Tim Boyle to Ryan Markush to cut the lead to 17-14 with 1:05 left in the third quarter
• The Colonels controlled the ball, outgaining TSU 168-25 in the third stanza

FOURTH QUARTER

• EKU used a 36 yard pass play on the final play of the third quarter to set up a score three plays into the final quarter
• The six yard touchdown pass gave the Colonels their first lead of the game, 21-14
• The Tigers answered with a 13 play, 88-yard scoring drive, which took over six minutes off the clock
• Hughes called his own number and powered in from the one to give the Tigers a 24-21 lead with 6:53 to play in regulation
• Hughes hit Smith for 17 yards and teamed up with Miles Cavitt for another 12 yards to start the drive
• The quarterback sandwiched a seven yard pass to Newbold between runs by Seth Rowland (17,7) and Curtis (11) moving to the EKU 24
• A pass interference call helped the Tigers advance to the Colonels two yard line, setting up Hughes’ rush three plays later
• The defense added some insurance as Vincent Sellers stepped in front of an EKU pass attempt and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown, making the score 31-21
• Sellers added an exclamation point with his second pick-six, this time a 44-yard return
• A Coby Weiss extra point made the score 38-21
• For good measure, Terrell Bonds followed with a pick-six of his own on the next series
• The 36-yard return, along with a Mitchell Boudreaux extra point produced the 45-21 final score

WHAT’S NEXT: The Tigers return to Nissan Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 14 to host Austin Peay for homecoming. The game is set for a 6:00 p.m. CT kick-off.

NOTES

• Tennessee State received votes is this week’s STATS Top 25 and FCS Coaches Top 25 polls.
• Captains for TSU were Lane Clark, Ebo Ogundeko, Chris Collins and Patrick Smith
• TSU won the coin toss and elected to defer the opening kickoff.
• Weather at the time of kickoff was 81 degrees and cloudy.
• Saturday marked the first time TSU held an opponent off the scoreboard in the first half this season.
• TSU is now 7-23 in the all-time series versus EKU.
• The Tigers improve to 3-14 against EKU in Richmond, Ky.

Safety Vincent Sellers

- On the defense

“We had to come out with the ‘w’ for Coach Fisher. He put together a great scheme for us. We had good practices all week. The scout team had been running their plays, and we just came out and we executed.

- First thoughts after getting the INT

“I was thinking, ‘man, I have to score.’ Once I got in the end zone, I couldn’t do anything but thank God. It was a wonderful feeling.”

- On getting the first Ohio Valley Conference win

“It means a lot. I’ve been hoping that we get this win for the seniors. I play this game for them right now. We just have to keep it going.”

Offensive Lineman Thomas Burton

- On getting the first Ohio Valley Conference win

“It means a lot. Coming off two losses back-to-back, that’s never a good feeling. It feels great to bounce back like we did.”

- On the offense 

“As far as the offense, today we came out and we wanted to make a statement running the ball. I feel like we did just that.”

Quarterback Michael Hughes

- On the offense

“I’m glad we were able to click tonight. We did a great job preparing for the game this week, and I’m just glad we came out here and executed all of the plays that we needed to execute to get this win.”

- On getting the first OVC victory

“It means everything. I’m just glad these guys are happy. I just want to get the ‘w’ for the team. That’s all that matters at this point.”

- On his first start

“It started off a little rough, but I finally got into the groove of things. I took care of the ball and did what I had to do. I did my part – it was great.”

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