NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana hit .688 in the first set Saturday en route to a 25-6, 25-18, 25-22 volleyball victory against Tougaloo in the first of two Gulf Coast Athletic Conference matches for the Gold Nuggets at SUNO's The Castle.
     XULA (14-4, 6-0) will play SUNO in the other match at 6 p.m.
     Maya Smith and Vivica Price-Spraggins had seven kills apiece for the Gold Nuggets, and they hit a combined .722 in 18 attacks. Kayla Black and Zora Barnett had six kills apiece, and Ema Causevic and Bria Mayes had four kills apiece.
     Taylor McGee had match highs of three aces and 12 digs. Jennifer Torres had 10 digs, Causevic served two aces, and Smith had two blocks. Eva Le Guillou had 21 assists, and Tiffany Phillips had eight.
     Kierstin Salley and Kayelyn Salley had five kills apiece for Tougaloo (5-12, 3-4), and Briana Hodge had four blocks.
     XULA outhit Tougaloo .235 to .038 — .280 to minus-.078 through the first two sets — and had advantages of 39-18 in kills, 35-15 in assists, 8-1 in aces and 37-20 in digs. Tougaloo had a 5-4 edge in blocks.
     The victory was the Gold Nuggets' sixth in a row, a season high, and their ninth in their last 10 matches. In the GCAC regular season, XULA has won 33 matches in a row and 102 of its last 104.
     XULA is 20-0 all-time against Tougaloo. The teams will meet again at 6 p.m. Oct. 19 at XULA's Convocation Center.