BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Xavier University of Louisiana's Vivica Price-Spraggins, Adili Rikondja, Marine Angely and Jordan Johnson combined for 30 kills and a .391 hitting percentage Saturday in a 25-19, 25-12, 25-19 volleyball victory against Pikeville in the Mid-South Crossover Challenge.
     The Gold Nuggets (2-1) were to play NAIA No. 22 Indiana Wesleyan at 2 p.m. Saturday, then bus home to New Orleans.
     Price-Spraggins, Rikondja and Angely had eight kills apiece, and Johnson had six. Johnson hit .556, Price-Spraggins .538, Angely .333 and Rikondja .286.
     XULA outhit Pikeville .311 to .022. The Nuggets' percentage was a season high.
     Price-Spraggins, a sophomore, is hitting .446 through three matches. In 2017 her .357 percentage was the second-best ever in a season by a Gold Nugget.
     "Viv worked hard in the offseason and the summer," XULA coach Pat Kendrick said, "so I'm not surprised she's off to a good start."
     Eva Le Guillou served three aces to spark the Gold Nuggets to a 5-0 first-set lead. Angely served three consecutive aces during a 9-0 run in the second set. XULA trailed 5-1 and 17-16 in the third set before ending the match with a 9-2 run.
     "I liked that we won in three," Kendrick said, "and that we played steady for most of it."
     XULA bounced back from a four-set loss to NAIA No. 17 Georgetown (Ky.) the previous evening. In 29 matches over two seasons under Kendrick, the Nuggets have yet to lose back-to-back matches.
     "I just think we're trying to be consistent," Kendrick said. "After our losses, I think our players have tried to get a better understanding of all the things we can control and correct."
     LeGuillou finished 28 assists, eight digs and a career-best four aces. Rikondja had three blocks, and Beatrice Formilan had 11 digs.
     Cassie Jones had eight kills and three blocks for Pikeville (3-1), and Brittany Reels served four aces.