JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Sophomores Moira Kirk and Taylor Reuther combined for 24 kills and a .657 hitting percentage Friday to lead Xavier University of Louisiana to a 25-9, 25-8, 25-14 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's volleyball victory against Edward Waters.
        The Gold Nuggets (6-4 overall, 1-0 GCAC) are the defending conference regular-season and tournament champions. They earned their 15th consecutive victory against GCAC opponents.
        Kirk hit .737, the highest in a match by an XU player since the program resumed in 2010. She had 15 kills, a season best, and one error in 19 attempts. Her 10 blocks Tuesday in a four-set home loss against Mobile were the most by a Gold Nugget since the start of the 2010 season.
        Reuther hit .563 on nine kills and no errors in 16 attempts.
        Xavier's .567 team hitting percentage was its best since the start of 2010 and a strong reversal from a season-low .050 against Mobile.
        The Gold Nuggets had advantages of 43-19 in kills and 10-1 in aces. Six Nuggets served at least one ace, with Reuther and CeCe Williams producing three apiece. Williams had six kills and hit .556 in nine attacks.
        Xavier scored 11 consecutive points, five on kills by Kirk, to build a 15-4 first-set lead. The Gold Nuggets led 17-4 in the second set and had a 9-1 run in the third after a tie at 7. Kerris Crier's kill ended the 58-minute match.
        "I am very happy with our team's performance," XU coach Christabell Hamilton said. "We definitely needed that win. Not only because it was our first conference match, but also because we needed a motivational boost to get us back on track."
        Xavier entered with a two-match losing streak, home losses to Spring Hill and Mobile. The Nuggets have not lost on the road since opening day when they dropped a pair to nationally ranked Lee (Tenn.) and Lindsey Wilson in the Lee Invitational on Aug. 24.
        Edward Waters is 4-7, 0-1. The Lady Tigers, 0-5 the past three seasons against Xavier, will be the Nuggets' next home opponent Oct. 5.
        Xavier will remain in the city to play Trinity Baptist in a non-conference match at 11 a.m. EDT Saturday. The next GCAC match will start at 7 p.m. Monday at SUNO.