XU Gold Nuggets set records in GCAC sweep of Voorhees

XU women's volleyball vs. Voorhees (23 photos)

NEW ORLEANS -- Sophomore Ralitsa Hadzhistoyanova served a Convocation Center-record seven aces Monday in Xavier University of Louisiana's 25-8, 25-9, 25-7 women's volleyball victory against Voorhees.

The Gold Nuggets (9-2 overall, 6-0 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference) also set Convocation Center team records with 13 aces and a .446 hitting percentage. The victory was Xavier's ninth in a row -- the second-longest winning streak in program history.

Claudia Haywood and Jodi Hill had nine kills apiece for the Gold Nuggets, CeCe Williams had eight kills, and freshmen Kaelan Temple and Jelena Vujicic had five apiece. Five players hit .500 or higher, led by Haywood with a season-high .667 in 12 attacks and Williams with a career-best .615 in 13 attacks.

Hadzhistoyanova's 22 assists were a career best. Hill served three aces.

Xavier scored the first seven points of the match and led 12-0 in the third set. The Gold Nuggets also had a 9-0 run in the first set -- Hadzhistoyanova served five aces -- and an 11-0 second-set run which included two Kayla Jones aces.

Xavier had a 43-6 advantage in kills and limited Voorhees (4-9, 0-6) to a minus-.184 hitting percentage.

The Gold Nuggets have won 49 consecutive matches against GCAC opponents, 40 in the regular season.

Xavier will visit SUNO -- the only other GCAC team which is unbeaten in conference -- at 7 p.m. Wednesday at The Castle. The Gold Nuggets' next home match will start at 6 p.m. on Oct. 10 against Spring Hill.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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Jackson's 14th Runner of Week award is GCAC record

Xavier's Kwame Jackson is the GCAC
record-holder in men's cross country with
 14 career Runner of the Week awards.

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana's Kwame Jackson set a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's cross country record Tuesday when he was chosen Runner of the Week for the 14th time in his career.

Jackson, a senior from Kingwood, Texas, and a graduate of Kingwood Park High School, ran four miles in a school-record 21 minutes, 21.7 seconds Saturday at the McNeese Cowboy Stampede in Lake Charles, La. Jackson placed 36th out of 74 runners.

It was Jackson's second XU timing record this season. He set the record for 5,000 meters on Sept. 6.

Jackson broke a tie with former teammate Matt Pieri for most career GCAC awards. Jackson also tied a GCAC record with his fifth weekly award of the season. Jackson also won five awards in 2013, as did Pieri in 2010 and Xavier's Mark Dotson in 2009.

Next race for XU's men and women will be the GCAC Championships at City Park in New Orleans on Oct. 18. The women's 5K race will start at 8 a.m., followed by the men's 8K at 8:30. Xavier is the host school and the eight-time defending men's and women's team champion.

 

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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Abbes, 26-0 in XU singles career, wins South Regional

XU sophomore Nour Abbes of Tunisia remained unbeaten as a collegiate singles player this weekend, defeating Georgia Gwinnett's Valeria Podda 6-3, 6-2 to win the ITA/USTA NAIA South Regional women's title. The victory qualified Abbes - who is 26-0 in singles at Xavier - for the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships at Sumter SC Oct. 9-12.

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana's Nour Abbes remained unbeaten as a collegiate singles player by defeating Georgia Gwinnett's Valeria Podda 6-3, 6-2 Sunday to win the women's title of the ITA/USTA NAIA South Regional Championships at XU Tennis Center.

The victory qualified Abbes -- a sophomore who is 26-0 at Xavier -- for the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships at Sumter, S.C., from Oct. 9-12. Abbes missed qualifying in doubles when she and Carmen Nelson lost 6-0, 7-5 to Auburn Montgomery's Claudine Maheu and Alice Baudeign in the final.

It's the second straight year that the Gold Nuggets qualified for the National Small College Championships and the first time in singles. Xavier's men qualified in singles and doubles in 2011.

The singles final was a rematch of the No. 2 and 3 players from the 2013-14 ITA NAIA postseason ranking. Abbes defeated Podda by the same score at XU on April 26 when Xavier beat Georgia Gwinnett in the championship dual of the NAIA Unaffiliated Group 2 Tournament.

On Sunday, Podda broke Abbes' serve to tie the first set at 3. Then Abbes won nine of the next 11 games and broke Podda's serve 5-of-6 times.

"I felt really good during the singles final," Abbes said. "I think I played some very good tennis, and I felt confident."

"I can't say enough good things about Nour and what she has accomplished in such a short time at Xavier," XU coach Alan Green said.

Rain shortly before 1 p.m. forced Xavier, the host school, to move the remaining matches downtown to the indoor courts at the Hilton Riverside. It was there that both doubles champions and the men's singles champion were decided.

Abbes and Nelson, seeded fourth, dropped the first doubles set in 19 minutes, then put the outcome in doubt when they rallied from a 3-2 deficit to take a 5-4 lead. But Maheu and Baudeign, who were unseeded, won the final three games.

"The fact that we had to play doubles indoors made us lose the rhythm," Abbes said. "The indoor courts were fast, so we didn't play our best tennis until 3-2 in the second set but it was too late, because AUM was very confident."

Abbes defeated AUM's sixth-seeded Paula Diaz 6-0, 6-1 in the singles semifinals.

In men's doubles, Xavier's Kevin Chaouat and Tushar Mandlekar lost 8-5 in the semifinals to AUM's third-seeded Nicolas Pinones and Miguel Grifol.

Georgia Gwinnett's top-seeded Jordan Cox defeated third-seeded teammate Matias Hatem 6-4, 6-2 in the men's singles final. Georgia Gwinnett's unseeded Connor Clements and Lachlan McPhee beat Pinones and Grifol 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 for the men's doubles title.

"I'm proud of our effort throughout this tournament," Green said. "My guys played well overall, and Tushar to me had a really good tournament. We just have to keep working because the team national champions will come out of this region next spring."

NOTES: It was the second straight year that Xavier played host to the South Regional . . . The singles title was Abbes' second in as many tournaments this fall. She won the A-flight main draw of the HBCU Championships on Sept. 20 . . . Abbes is 21-4 at XU in doubles and has played with three partners . . . It was the first time since that Xavier competed at the Hilton Riverside since men's and women's dual matches against Mobile in February 2009 . . . After Abbes competes at nationals, Xavier's final fall tournament will be Oct. 24-25 in the Big Easy Classic at the University of New Orleans.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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Florida A&M Lady Rattler Basketball Schedule Announced

HEAD COACH LeDAWN GIBSON
Courtesy FAMU Athletics

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- The 2014-15 FAMU Women’s Basketball Schedule has been released and the coming season opens Friday, November 14 at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa.

FAMU opens their home schedule the following Tuesday, November 18 against Alabama State at 7:00 p.m. in the Al Lawson Center, jumpstarting a three-game homestand which features a late morning bout against Webber International (11:30 a.m.) on Thursday, November 20, and a clash against Troy University on Monday, November 24 at 7:00 p.m.

The Lady Rattlers of Coach LeDawn Gibson then head to Dallas for the SMU Thanksgiving Tournament, Friday and Saturday, November 28-29, facing off against host SMU on Friday, followed by either Southern Cal or Sam Houston State on Saturday.

FAMU’s road tour continues into December and January, with seven games away from Tallahassee, starting Saturday, Deecember 6 with the MEAC opener at South Carolina State, followed by a pre-Christmas trip to the Bayou State of Louisiana, to face Southern University, on Wednesday, December 17, followed by a Saturday, December 20 matchup at Southeastern Louisiana.

After Christmas, the Lady Rattlers will be off to South Florida for the University of Miami’s Post Christmas Tournament at Coral Gables, where they will face host Miami on Sunday, December 28, then will tangle with either LSU or UNC Greensboro on Monday, December 29.

In January, FAMU opens with a Peach State swing, at Kennesaw State on Friday, January 2 and at Mercer in Macon, on Sunday, January 4.

MEAC play resumes for the duration of the schedule, beginning with a weekend home set against Norfolk State (Saturday, January 10) and Hampton (Monday, January 12), before hitting the road the following weekend (Saturday-Monday, January 17 and 19) against Morgan State and Coppin State in Baltimore.

The next three games will be home contests, on Saturday, January 24 against Howard; Monday, January 26 against Maryland-Eastern Shore, and Saturday, January 31 agaubst archrival Bethune-Cookman.

February begins with two road games on consecutive Mondays – February 2 at North Carolina Central and February 9 at Delaware State, before the North Carolina duo of North Carolina A&T (Saturday, February 14) and North Carolina Central (Monday, February 16) come to the Lawson Center.

FAMU finishes February on the road at Bethune-Cookman (Saturday, February 21), Savannah State (Monday, February 23) and North Carolina A&T (Saturday, February 28).

The Lady Rattlers will close their regular season schedule at home against Savannah State on Thursday, March 5, before heading to Norfolk, Va., for the 2015 MEAC Tournament, Monday through Saturday, March 9-14 at The Scope.

Florida A&M University Women's Basketball 2014-15 Schedule

Date	Opponent	Location	Time (ET)

Fri, Nov 14 Alabama at Tuscaloosa, AL 5:00 pm

Tue, Nov 18 ALABAMA STATE HOME 7:00 pm

Thu, Nov 20 WEBBER UNIVERSITY HOME 11:30 am

Mon, Nov 24 TROY UNIVERSITY HOME 7:00 pm

SMU THANKSGIVING TOURNAMENT

Fri, Nov 28 SMU at Dallas, TX 7:00 pm

Sat, Nov 29 USC/Sam Houston State at Dallas, TX 5/7 PM

Sat, Dec 06 South Carolina State * at Orangeburg, SC 4:00 pm

Wed, Dec 17 Southern University at Baton Rouge, LA 7:00 pm

Sat, Dec 20 SE Louisiana at Hammond, LA 2:00 pm

MIAMI POST CHRISTMAS TOURNAMENT

Sun, Dec 28 University of Miami at Coral Gables, FL 1:00 pm

Mon, Dec 29 LSU/UNCG at Coral Gables, FL TBA

Fri, Jan 02 Kennesaw State at Kennesaw, GA 7:00 pm

Sun, Jan 04 Mercer University at Macon, GA 2:00 pm

Sat, Jan 10 NORFOLK STATE * HOME 4:00 pm

Mon, Jan 12 HAMPTON HOME 6:00 pm

Sat, Jan 17 Morgan State * at Baltimore, MD 2:00 pm

Mon, Jan 19 Coppin State * at Baltimore, MD 5:30 pm

Sat, Jan 24 HOWARD * HOME 4:00 pm

Mon, Jan 26 MARYLAND-EASTERN SHORE * HOME 6:00 pm

Sat, Jan 31 BETHUNE-COOKMAN * HOME 1:00 pm

Mon, Feb 02 North Carolina Central at Durham, NC 5:30 pm

Mon, Feb 09 Delaware State * at Dover, DE 5:30 pm

Sat, Feb 14 NORTH CAROLINA A&T * HOME 4:00 pm

Mon, Feb 16 NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL * HOME 6:00 pm

Sat, Feb 21 Bethune-Cookman * at Daytona Beach, FL 2:00 pm

Mon, Feb 23 Savannah State * at Savannah, GA 6:00 pm

Sat, Feb 28 North Carolina A&T * at Greensboro, NC 4:00 pm

Thu, Mar 05 SAVANNAH STATE * HOME 6:00 pm

MEAC BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

Mon, Mar 09 TBA at Norfolk, VA TBA

* Conference Games

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS 

Alabama A&M rolls over Mississippi Valley

ITTA BENA, Mississippi -- Defense was the key.

The Bulldogs held Mississippi Valley State to 77 yards rushing and a smothering pass rush had 8 sacks and 13 tackles for loss and contributed to two interceptions, including one for a touchdown.

Special teams were the key.

Freshman Octayvius Miles set a school record with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown (though he was 3 yards deep in the endzone) and the kickoff and punt return units combined for 255 yards.

Offense was the key.

Freshman Harvey Harris rushed for 109 yards in a 265-yard rushing attack that was complemented by 170 yards passing.
In all, it was a team effort Saturday as Alabama A&M defeated Mississippi Valley State 42-20.

Anthony Lanier had 8 tackles, 2 ½ sacks and 4 tackles for loss,  Bryan Brower had 8 tackles, 1 ½ tackles for loss and a half-sack  and David Dagrin had 5 tackles, 2 ½ sacks and 2 ½ sacks to pace the Bulldogs who improved to 1-1 in the Southwest Athletic Conference and 2-3 overall. The Bulldogs also picked off two Valley passes, one in the Delta Devils' endzone for a touchdown.

Miles' kickoff return to open the second half broke the school record set by Ulysses Banks in 2006. A&M led 28-6 after that return.

Harris had 21 carries and scored two touchdowns and Byran Brower had another 56 yards on 16 carries. The Bulldogs relied on the ground game, running 53 of the teams 68 offensive plays. Through the air, Jaymason Lee and Brandon Wells combined for 9-of-15 and 170 yards with no interceptions and one touchdown – a 55-yarder from Lee to Kalais Robertson run.

The Bulldogs, though, started slowly as Valley jumped on the scoreboard first as quarterback  Quantavius  Peterson rushed for a 37-yard touchdown run.  Valley tried for two-point conversion but the run failed.

The Bulldogs settled into their offense, starting on their on 29-yard line. The Bulldogs pushed the ball down the field when Harris broke free up the middle to score on a 37-yard touchdown, capping the eight-play,  74-yard scoring drive.

Valley's ensuing play wasn't what they expected deep in their own territory. Peterson's pass was intercepted by Germain Calmes in the endzone giving the Bulldogs the 14-6 lead. 

The Bulldogs got the ball back and Brandon Eldemire rushed into the end zone for a four-yard scamper, with 1:40 left in the half and a 21-6 lead.

The team traded touchdowns the rest of the way with Harris scoring on a 1-yard run and Robertson's 55-yard touchdown pass from Lee with 6:53 left in the game.

The 42 points was the most scored by A&M this season.

The Bulldogs host Grambling State on Saturday in their first home game of the season.  It is also Homecoming and the Louis Crews Classic.

Box Score 

COURTESY ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS 

FAMU Releases 2014-15 Men’s Basketball slate

FAMU MEN'S HEAD BASKETBALL COACH
Courtesy FAMU Athletics

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M University released its’ 2014-15 Men’s Basketball schedule, a slate which features six-game western road tour in November.

The Rattlers, under new head coach Byron Samuels, will open the schedule on Friday and Saturday, November 14 and 15 against Clemson and USC Upstate, before heading out west the following week.

That western tour will begin on Wednesday, November 19 at the University of San Diego, before taking on Grand Canyon in Phoeniz, Arizona on Friday, November 21.

Also on the western tour is Wyoming (Monday, November 24); New Mexico State (Wednesday, November 26); Stetson University and Northern Colorado (Saturday and Sunday, November 29-30 in Greeley, Colorado).

FAMU opens Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play on Saturday, December 6 at South Carolina State, then will open their home schedule after Fall Semester finals on Friday, December 19 against North Florida (7:00).

They head to East Carolina for a Monday, December 22 pre-Christmasbout, then after Christmas will host Florida International on Monday, December 29 (7:00).

The Rattlers will face Stetson University for the second time in 35 days, taking on the Hatters in Deland on Saturday, January 3, before returning home for a three-game stand beginning Tuesday, January 6 against Jacksonville (7:00) in their final non-conference game of the year.

MEAC play resumes Saturday and Monday, January 10 and 12 as the Virginia Boys, Norfolk State (6:00) and Hampton (8:00) come to the Lawson Center.

FAMU then heads to Baltimore for a weekend set against Morgan State and Coppin State, Saturday and Monday, January 17 and 19, before return to the Lawson Center for another three-game set.

Saturday and Monday, January 24 and 26, FAMU hosts Howard (6:00) and Maryland-Eastern Shore (8:00), before closing out the first month of 2015 against archrival Bethune-Cookman (3:00).

FAMU is on the road on consecutive Mondays to open February at North Carolina Central (February 2) and Delaware State (February 9), before returning to Lawson for a weekend set Saturday and Monday, February 14 and 16 against North Carolina A&T (6:00) and North Carolina Central (8:00).

The following weekend (Saturday and Monday, February 21 and 23), FAMU is on the road at Bethune-Cookman and Savannah State, before closing at home Thursday, March 5 against Savannah State (8:00).

Florida A&M University 2014-15 Men's Basketball Schedule

Date	Opponent	Location	Time (ET)

Fri, Nov 14 Clemson University at Clemson, SC 7:00 pm
Sat, Nov 15 USC Upstate at Spartanburg, SC 7:30 pm
Wed, Nov 19 University of San Diego San Diego, CA 7:00 pm Pacific
Fri, Nov 21 Grand Canyon at Phoenix, AZ 7:00 pm MT
Mon, Nov 24 Wyoming at Laramie, WY 7:00 pm MT
Wed, Nov 26 New Mexico State at Las Cruces, NM 7:00 pm MT
Sat, Nov 29 Stetson University at Greeley, CO 3:00 PM
Sun, Nov 30 Northern Colorado Greeley, CO 2:00 pm MT
Sat, Dec 06 South Carolina State * at Orangeburg, SC 4:00 pm
Fri, Dec 19 NORTH FLORIDA HOME 7:00 pm
Mon, Dec 22 East Carolina at Greenville, NC 7:00 pm
Mon, Dec 29 FIU HOME 7:00 pm
Sat, Jan 03 Stetson University at Deland, FL 1:00 pm
Tue, Jan 06 JACKSONVILLE HOME 7:00 pm
Sat, Jan 10 NORFOLK STATE * HOME 6:00 pm
Mon, Jan 12 HAMPTON * HOME 8:00 pm
Sat, Jan 17 Morgan State * at Baltimore, MD 4:00 pm
Mon, Jan 19 Coppin State * at Baltimore. MD 4:00 pm
Sat, Jan 24 HOWARD * HOME 6:00 pm
Mon, Jan 26 MARYLAND-E.S. * HOME 8:00 pm
Sat, Jan 31 BETHUNE-COOKMAN * HOME 3:00 PM
Mon, Feb 02 North Carolina Central * at Durham, NC 7:30 pm
Mon, Feb 09 Delaware State * at Dover, DE 7:30 pm
Sat, Feb 14 NORTH CAROLINA A&T * HOME 6:00 pm
Mon, Feb 16 NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL * HOME 8:00 pm
Sat, Feb 21 Bethune-Cookman * at Daytona Beach, FL 4:00 pm
Mon, Feb 23 Savannah State * at Savannah, GA 7:00 pm
Thu, Mar 05 SAVANNAH (Ga.) STATE * HOME 8:00 pm

* Conference Games

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Albany State defense shines in victory over Miles

ALBANY, Georgia — The ball squirted out near the goal line and junior cornerback Fred Holton wasted no time when he saw the loose ball dribbling on the Albany State University Coliseum turf Saturday night.

##Holton scooped up the ball and ran down the Miles College sideline 97 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, helping the Rams pick up a 14-7 victory, their first of the season in their home opener.

##More importantly, the Rams won their second straight over the Golden Bears (1-3).

##But Holton, the junior transfer from Georgia Tech, gave the Rams a commanding 14-0 lead when he scored with 13:38 left in the second quarter. His touchdown turned out to be the margin of victory.

##“I was pretty much surprised,” Houston said. “I saw one of my teammates pretty much demolish their running back. The next thing I know, I saw the ball come out and I knew it was my time. I caught it, it came straight to me, then I just took off. I credit my teammate for that … that was his play.”

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