NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana volleyball was picked Tuesday to repeat as Gulf Coast Athletic Conference champion in 2018, and the Gold Nuggets' Kayla Black and Eva Le Guillou were selected to the preseason All-GCAC team.
     Black — a sophomore outside hitter from Spring, Texas, and a graduate of St. Pius X High School in Houston — shared preseason Player of the Year with Talladega junior setter Bethany Holland.
     The league's eight head coaches selected the order of finish and the player awards.
     Black was first-team All-GCAC and second-team All-Louisiana in 2017, and Le Guillou — a sophomore from Velizy-Villacoublay, France — was GCAC Setter of the Year.
     "Eva and Kayla have made great progress since their freshman seasons," XULA coach Pat Kendrick said. "They both trained hard during the offseason and are doing so again during our preseason practices this month. We're all looking forward to the start of the season."
     XULA, seven-time defending champion of the GCAC regular season and tournament, received 6-of-8 first-place votes and 49 points. Dillard received the other two first-place votes and 45 points. Tougaloo was third in the poll, followed by SUNO, Edward Waters, Talladega, Philander Smith and first-year member Rust.
     Joining Black, Le Guillou and Holland on the preseason All-GCAC team were outside hitter/defensive specialist Carolyne Edwards and outside hitter Megan Besecker of Tougaloo, setter Marija Stojiljkovic of SUNO and setter Alexis Barnett of Dillard.
     XULA will begin its 11th intercollegiate season with four matches Aug. 24-25 in Bowling Green, Ky., then play its home opener Aug. 31 in the two-day Big Easy Blastoff at the Convocation Center.