NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana announced Thursday that its Big Easy Blastoff volleyball tournament has been canceled for 2017. But there will be a match Friday at XULA's Convocation Center.
     XULA and city rival Loyola will meet at 6 p.m. on the Gold Nuggets' home court, four days sooner than originally scheduled.
     Earlier Thursday, XULA announced that Blastoff teams Our Lady of the Lake, Texas Wesleyan and Michigan-Dearborn would not participate. All three cited travel issues in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, which primarily caused catastrophic flooding in southeast Texas.
     Loyola — whose tournament this week at St. Thomas of Houston was canceled — agreed to join XULA and Rust in the Blastoff field. But by mid-afternoon Thursday, Rust — located in northeast Mississippi, dealing with the remnants of Harvey and feeling uneasy about traveling — contacted XULA officials and withdrew.
     The Friday meeting between XULA and Loyola will replace their Tuesday match. Admission will be $5, but fans can gain free admission with a donation — toiletries, pet food, blankets, etc. — to XULA's Harvey relief efforts. Students, staff and faculty with a valid XULA ID will be admitted free.
     Although XULA was closed Tuesday because of the possibility of parts of the city experiencing street flooding due to heavy rains from Harvey's outer feeder bands, the campus received zero damage from the storm and reopened Wednesday.