MOBILE, Ala. — Taylor Reuther had 18 kills and 11 digs Friday to lead Xavier University of Louisiana to a 25-19, 28-26, 25-20 women's volleyball victory against Asbury, giving the Gold Nuggets a split on the first day of the season-opening UMobile/Spring Hill Tournament.
        The victory followed a 25-8, 25-20, 25-22 loss to Spring Hill.
        Xavier's Hannah Lawing earned her first victory as a collegiate head coach.
        The Nuggets' Chinedu Echebelem had eight kills, two aces and nine digs against Asbury, and Jodi Chatters had 15 digs. Against Spring Hill, Echebelem had nine kills and eight digs, and Reuther and Moira Kirk had seven kills apiece. Reuther had 10 digs and Chatters nine.
        Xavier trailed Asbury 24-22 in the second set, but four Reuther kills gave the Nuggets a 27-26 lead. Kirk then clinched the set with a kill.
        The double-double was the 24th in the career of Reuther, a junior outside hitter who was the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year and a third-team Capital One Academic All-American in 2012.
        Spring Hill continued its mastery of Xavier — the Badgers lead the series 13-0 — but Xavier earned its first victory in two tries against Asbury, a 20-match winner each of the past five seasons.
        Megan Haber had 14 kills and hit .700 in 20 attacks for Spring Hill, an NAIA National Championship qualifier in 2012 and 2011, and the Badgers outhit Xavier .392 to .139. Xavier outhit Asbury .154 to .127.
        "We are still working out the kinks and trying to establish ourselves as a team," Lawing said. "The first match of the season is always tough, especially against a top-30 team like Spring Hill. We definitely made progress today.
        "I was proud of our resilience in the second match. I'm also proud that we finished the second set against Asbury after we could've rolled over and let them take that set."
        The tournament will conclude Saturday. Xavier will play at noon against Southern Wesleyan in Spring Hill's Arthur Outlaw Rec Center, then travel to the University of Mobile's Pharr Gym for a 3 p.m. match against Mobile.