NEW ORLEANS — Freshman
Si Si Mitchell became the
eighth this season from Xavier University of Louisiana to win a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference weekly
volleyball award, and the Gold Nuggets swept the honors for the second straight week and the fourth time in 2019.
Mitchell, from Minneapolis, Minn., and a graduate of Minneapolis South High School,
earned her first Defender of the Week award. Also honored were XULA's
Kayla Black, the Attacker of the Week,
and
Eva Le Guillou, the Setter of the Week. Awards were based on perfomances from Oct. 28-Nov. 3.
The Gold Nuggets (26-6, 13-0) will close their regular season Saturday
at home against GCAC and city rival Dillard in the Convocation Center. Listed as a 3 p.m. start,
the match will begin approximately 45 minutes after the conclusion of the men's basketball homecoming
game, which will tip off at 1 p.m. against LeMoyne-Owen.
Mitchell led her team in digs this past week — 17 in two GCAC victories
— and helped limit opponents to minus-.048 hitting, including minus-.169 against Rust,
the lowest percentage in four years by a XULA opponent.
XULA's victory against Rust clinched an outright GCAC regular-season championship —
XULA's ninth title in a row and eighth outright (shared in 2015).
Mitchell also had three assists and only one error in 18 receptions of serve.
For the season she ranks sixth on the Gold Nuggets with 161 digs, second with 3.43 digs per set
and eighth with seven aces.
Black, a junior from Houston and a graduate of St. Pius X High School,
hit .325 with 20 kills, two blocks, 16 digs and four aces. Against Philander Smith
she produced her 13th kill-dig of the season — 13 kills and 10 digs — and the 37th of her career.
Black was one of eight in the NAIA this season to reach 300 kills, 300 digs, 40 aces and 30 blocks through matches of Nov. 2.
Le Guillou, a junior from Velizy-Villacoublay, France,
produced 46 assists, 10 digs and one ace and averaged 7.67 assists per set
for an offense that hit .370. Le Guillou climbed to No. 3 on XULA's single-season assists list with 887.
The Gold Nuggets have won 20 of a possible 24 GCAC weekly
awards this season. At least two from XULA have been honored weekly.
Le Guillou has won five awards and Black four in 2019.
Le Guillou has a XULA volleyball career-record 17 weekly awards.
This most recent weekly awards sweep is XULA's 15th in five seasons.
