NAIA opening round scores

        NEW ORLEANS — Fayola Louis and Mary Zimmerman combined for 24 kills, six blocks and .471 hitting percentage Saturday to lead 10th-ranked Life to a 28-26, 25-18, 25-22 victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in the NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship Opening Round at the Convocation Center.
        The Running Eagles (33-2), winning for the 25th time in their last 26 matches, advanced to pool play at the NAIA National Championship Final Site Nov. 30-Dec. 4 at Sioux City, Iowa. They snapped the nine-match win streak of the Gold Nuggets (13-7), who were trying to advance for the second time in three seasons.
        Linda Mungai had a match-high 18 digs and set a XULA season record of 5.05 digs per set. She broke Anna Dalla Vecchia's 2017 record of 4.76. Mungai passed Dalla Vecchia by averaging 6.45 digs per set in the final three matches.
        Louis had 13 kills, three blocks and hit .419, and Zimmerman had 11 kills, three blocks and hit .550. Neither produced an attack error.
        Life outhit XULA .226 to .151, but the Gold Nuggets were feisty to the end. They had three set points in the first after trailing 15-7 and 18-10, then led 12-8 and 17-15 in the third.
        "Xavier pushed us and never gave up," Life head coach Steve Wilcosky said. "I think the difference was that we had been in these tough situations more often than they had this season. I think that helped us today."
        XULA head coach Pat Kendrick echoed those sentiments. "We competed well, but you have to stay consistent at this level," she said. "You've got to be in it for the long haul. Life showed why they're one of the top-ranked teams this season."
        Both teams had a pair of players with double-doubles. For Life, Lena Pucnik had 10 kills and 13 digs, and Jessie Prichard had 34 assists and 12 digs. For XULA, Kennedy Wade had 12 kills and 12 digs, and Semira Blair had 21 assists and 16 digs.
        Other XULA contributors were Taylor McGee with 10 kills and a .333 hitting percentage, Giulia Follador with 11 digs, Kendall Mack with six kills and a .500 hitting percentage, Stella Dineva with three blocks and Emi Riglioni with 15 assists and two aces.
        Fifth-year standout Vivica Price-Spraggins, in her final XULA match, had three kills and two blocks. The middle blocker finished with a XULA career-record .360 hitting percentage: 1,013 kills and 191 errors in 2,274 attacks. This past weekend Price-Spraggins became XULA's third with 1,000 career kills, joining Taylor Reuther and Kayla Black.
        XULA's 67 digs were its most in a three-set match since collecting 70 against Edward Waters last season in the semifinals of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. Life had 64 digs, 16 by Marin Black, who has more than 2,500 in her career.
        XULA scored its most points ever, 66, in a three-set match against a ranked NAIA opponent. The previous high was 63 against Wayland Baptist in 2015 and Missouri Baptist in 2016.
        It was XULA's 11th consecutive NAIA nationals appearance, and the Gold Nuggets share with Lindsey Wilson the top spot for active streaks of NAIA appearances. Life, a seventh-year program, is in its first nationals appearance.
        XULA is 1-13 all-time at nationals and 1-25 against ranked opponents. Volleyball is the only sport to play host to an NAIA nationals event on the XULA campus — the Gold Nuggets have done it five times in the last six seasons.