NEW ORLEANS — New Xavier University of Louisiana volleyball coach Pat Kendrick announced Wednesday her first two signees for the 2017-18 academic year: 5-foot-8 outside hitter Jaida Dowd of Aurora, Ill., and Metea Valley High School and 5-9 setter Eva Le Guillou of Velizy-Villacoublay, France, and Lycee Emmanuel Mounier. Both will be XULA freshmen in August.
     "We're excited to have Eva and Jaida joining us in the fall," Kendrick said. "Eva is an experienced setter and has played at a very good club level in France. She is an athletic playmaker and will be a great addition to the Xavier program. Jaida brings a lot of skill and athleticism to the team. She is currently playing for one of the top volleyball clubs in the U.S. and will be a boost to the team's level of play."
     Dowd hit .200 with 150 kills (2.08 per set), 22 blocks and 41 digs her senior year at Metea Valley and was honorable-mention all-conference. She helped the Mustangs win their first 13 matches and reach the regional finals of the state playoffs. Metea Valley in 2016 finished 25-10, the best record in school history, and won two regular-season tournaments.
     Dowd this year won Metea Valley's Indian Prairie Scholar Award for reaching a 3.8 GPA or higher in each of her first seven semesters. In club volleyball with Sports Performance, she received the organization's 2016 C-Fed Award for hardest-working and most-improved player.
     Dowd will major in sales and marketing at XULA, and Le Guillou will major in business administration.
     XULA in 2016 won Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships and qualified for the NAIA National Championship — each for the sixth consecutive year.