LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Freshmen Lauryn Taylor, Kayla Black and Vivica Price-Spraggins combined to hit .605 Tuesday and lead Xavier University of Louisiana in a 25-13, 25-10, 25-12 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference volleyball victory against Philander Smith.
     The Gold Nuggets (17-2, 9-0) can clinch a tie for their seventh consecutive GCAC regular-season championship with a victory Saturday in a 1 p.m. match at Talladega or a Dillard loss Monday at Tougaloo.
     Taylor had 11 kills and hit .556, both career highs, in 18 attacks. Black had 10 kills — her 10th match in double figures — and hit a career-best .529 in 17 attacks. Price-Spraggins hit .875 — seven kills and no errors in eight attacks — and raised her team-best season percentage to .374.
     XULA had 14 kills in each set and for the match hit .393, its second-highest percentage of the season and its best on an opponent's floor in three years.
     Black, Juliana Tomasoni and Tiffany Phillips served three aces apiece. Anna Dalla Vecchia had 11 digs to reach double figures for the 16th time this season, and Black and Adili Rikondja had two blocks apiece. Eva Le Guillou had 20 assists, and Phillips had 12.
     XULA stretched its win streak to seven and exceeded its victory total of last season, when it was 16-17.