HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Maya Smith and Kendall Mack had three kills apiece in the final set Saturday, and Jennifer Torres set a Xavier University of Louisiana match record with 37 digs in a 16-25, 22-25, 25-18, 25-23, 15-12 volleyball victory against William Carey.
        XULA (3-2) gave William Carey (4-1) its first loss of the season and avenged a five-set home loss to the Lady Crusaders from seven days earlier.
        It was the fifth time in the program's 13-year history — and the first time since 2013 — that XULA won a match after dropping the first two sets.
        XULA trailed 20-15 in the fourth set, but freshman Kennedy Wade had three kills and an ace in a 10-3 comeback that extended the match. A kill by Mack, another freshman, put XULA ahead to stay in the fifth set at 8-7, Taylor McGee and Vivica Price-Spraggins combined for a block that made it 14-9, and the 2-hour, 6-minute match ended on a Jordan Stephens attack error.
        Torres broke the XULA digs record of 34 set at home by Anna Dalla Vecchia against Marian (Ind.) in the opening round of NAIA nationals on Nov. 18, 2017. Torres became XULA's first with back-to-back 30-dig matches; she had 32 a week ago against Carey.
        XULA was outhit .212 to .064 through the first two sets, then outhit William Carey .274 to .149 in the final three.
        Bria Mayes (9), Wade (9) and Smith (8) combined for 26 of XULA's 40 kills during the final three sets. Mayes finished 14 kills and Smith 11, both career bests. Wade had 15 kills and 21 digs, making her the second XULA player in the last 12 seasons to reach 15 kills and 20 digs in consecutive matches. Chinedu Echebelem did it 2014.
        Smith, who entered as the NAIA leader in blocks per set, had five.
        Mack and Price-Spraggins had eight kills and three blocks apiece. Mack's kill total was one more than she produced in the first four matches. Price-Spraggins, XULA's career leader with 280 blocks, produced her eighth consecutive match with multiple blocks.
        Eva Le Guillou had four aces and 38 assists, both season highs, and the three-time Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Setter of the Year tacked on nine digs. McGee had a season-high 13 digs, and freshman setter Emi Riglioni had eight digs and 15 assists.
        Stephens led William Carey with 18 kills, and she also had 11 digs and two blocks. Mia Hague had 16 kills, Baylee Fairbanks had 10 kills and five blocks, and Gillian Tripp had four kills, 42 assists, 12 digs and three blocks.
        For the match XULA outhit William Carey .179 to .176 and had advantages of 64-59 in kills, 10-2 in aces, 104-102 in digs and 9-7 in blocks. Wade served a career-high three aces to help XULA finish with a season-best total.
        It was the second time that XULA defeated an opponent it lost to earlier this season.
        XULA's next match will start at 7 p.m. Nov. 13 at Mobile.
        NOTES:  XULA won despite 44 total errors, five more than William Carey . . . Mayes, Wade and Smith combined to hit .087 in the first two sets and .328 in the final three . . . It was the first time a Pat Kendrick-coached team won after trailing by two sets since George Mason's 18-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-23, 15-10 victory at Towson on Oct. 29, 2010. This is Kendrick's fourth season at XULA; she led George Mason from 1985-2014 . . . Kendrick-coached XULA teams have lost twice in the same season to only one opponent: Mobile in 2018 . . . XULA denied William Carey the second five-match win streak in the history of the program, which launched in 2016 . . . This was XULA's first out-of-town match of the season.

XULA victories after trailing 2 sets to 0
• Oct. 24, 2020 — 16-25, 22-25, 25-18, 25-23, 15-12 at William Carey
• Sept. 21, 2013 — 20-25, 19-25, 25-20, 26-24, 15-13 at Mobile
• Nov. 1, 2012 — 21-25, 17-25, 25-15, 25-12, 15-7 vs. SUNO (final match at The Barn)
• Nov. 11, 2011 — 20-25, 18-25, 27-25, 26-24, 17-15 vs. Dillard (GCAC Tournament semifinal at Nashville, Tenn.)
• Oct. 23, 2010 — 15-25, 19-25, 25-12, 25-22, 15-7 vs. Dillard at The Barn