METAIRIE, La. — Four volleyball student-athletes from Xavier University of Louisiana received All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference honors Thursday during a banquet on the eve of the league's postseason tournament.
     Juliana Tomasoni and Kayla Black were named first-team All-GCAC, and Anna Dalla Vecchia and Eva Le Guillou made the second team. Dalla Vecchia was chosen Freshman of the Year, and Le Guillou earned Setter of the Year.
     Tomasoni — a senior outside hitter from Nova Trento Brazil, and a former Northeastern Oklahoma A&M standout — was first-team All-GCAC for the second straight year. The other three honorees are freshmen. Black is an outside hitter from Magnolia, Texas, and a graduate of Houston's St. Pius X High School. Dalla Vecchia is a libero from Vicenza, Italy. and Le Guillou is from Velizy-Villacoublay, France.
     It was the third straight year that a XULA athlete was named Setter of the Year.
     XULA (21-2), the regular-season champion and the tournament's No. 1 seed, will have a bye in the opening round. The Gold Nuggets will play fourth-seeded Edward Waters or fifth-seeded SUNO in the semifinals at 3 p.m. Friday. SUNO's The Castle is the venue for this single-elimination tournament. The championship match will start at 11 a.m. Saturday.