NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana women's volleyball increased to six its total of 2023 Red River Athletic Conference weekly player awards when Ruxandra Flueras and Kennedy Wade were honored Monday.
        Flueras won RRAC Defender of the Week, and Wade received Attacker of the Week for Sept. 4-10. Flueras won for the second consecutive week.
        Flueras, a junior libero from Chieri, Italy, and a transfer from Colby (Kan.) Community College, had a series-high 33 digs in the Gold Nuggets' two-match RRAC home sweep of Paul Quinn. Saturday she accomplished something that former Gold Nugget Linda Mungai — the 2022 RRAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year — never accomplished last season: reach 20 digs in a three-set match. Flueras had 21.
        Flueras' two-match totals included eight assists and 5.50 digs per set.
        Wade, a senior outside hitter from Gainesville, Fla, and a graduate of Buchholz High School, was the leading scorer in both matches against Paul Quinn. Wade's two-match totals included 26 kills, a .293 hitting percentage, two aces, two blocks and 12 digs.
        Wade has won 11 conference weekly awards in her four XULA seasons.
        XULA has won all three RRAC weekly defensive awards this season. Taylor Parker won the first.
        Next for XULA will be a two-match RRAC series in Pineville, La., against Louisiana Christian: 7 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday. The Gold Nuggets, LCU, Our Lady of the Lake and Texas A&M-Texarkana share first place in the conference with 2-0 records. The Gold Nuggets are 5-4 overall. The next XULA home match will be Sept. 21.

XULA women's volleyball 2023 Red River Athletic Conference Players of the Week
•  Aug. 21-27:  Bengisu Kazazlar, setter; Taylor Parker, defender
•  Aug. 28-Sept. 3:  Amani Mason, attacker; Ruxandra Flueras, defender
•  Sept. 4-10:  Kennedy Wade, attacker; Ruxandra Flueras, defender



Photo of Kennedy Wade by Yamlak Tsega