HOUSTON — Sydney Norris had three kills during a
closing run Saturday which clinched Montana Tech's 21-25, 25-21, 25-20, 23-25,
15-7 women's volleyball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in the
championship match of the UST Labor Day Tournament.
The Lady Diggers (8-2) won their eighth in a row,
including four matches in this event. The Gold Nuggets (5-3) were 3-1 in the
tournament.
The teams were tied at 6 in the fifth set before
Montana Tech scored eight consecutive points. Norris' third kill of the run,
off a free ball, gave the Lady Diggers a 12-6 lead. Montana Tech had a 9-4
advantage in kills during the fifth.
Taylor Reuther had 19 kills and a career-high 25 digs
for Xavier and recorded her seventh consecutive double-double.
Chinedu Echebelem
had 13 kills and 13 digs, and
Moira Kirk had 11 kills and four blocks. Jodi
Chatters had 19 digs and
CeCe Williams 12.
Kirk's block gave Xavier its only lead of the third set,
18-17, before Jordan Danz produced three kills to give the Lady Diggers a
2-sets-to-1 advantage. But Echebelem had four kills, and Kirk and Reuther
had three apiece to force a fifth set.
Earlier Saturday, the Gold Nuggets defeated Columbia
(S.C.) 25-27, 25-20, 25-20, 25-15. It was the second time this season that
Xavier won after dropping the opening set.
Reuther had 15 kills, 14 digs and a season-high four
aces against Columbia. Kirk had 11 kills, and reserve
Claudia Haywood had
seven kills and three blocks in two sets. Chatters had 20 digs,
Franziska Pirkl had 32 assists and 12 digs in her fourth double-double of the
season, and Echebelem had nine digs and a career-high-tying three aces.
"This was progress," XU coach Hannah Lawing said.
"It was a very productive weekend for us. We learned how it feels to be
successful, not only individually, but as a team. We are taking steps in the
right direction and growing as a team."
Xavier must play five more times on the road —
6 p.m. Tuesday at Spring Hill, then four times next week in the Rumpke
Invitational at Georgetown, Ky. — before playing its home and Gulf
Coast Athletic Conference opener at 1 p.m. on Sept. 14 against Voorhees at
the Convocation Center.
