NEW ORLEANS - XULA Volleyball showed its perseverance Friday night, overcoming a rough start to convincingly defeat Mobile, a team that started the season in the national Top 25, 3-1 in the nightcap of the first day of the Big Easy Blastoff.
Xavier had some struggles early, falling 25-13 in the first set, but kept getting better in each subsequent set.
The Gold Nuggets gutted out a 27-25 win in the second set, then a 25-22 decision in the third, before comfortably putting the Rams away 25-18 in the fourth set.
Kennedy Campbell and Kamea Uitenham were the stars of the XULA attack, racking up 16 and 13 kills, respectively. Uitenham added 10 digs and 2 block assists.
Xavier, which had 7 service aces in a win over LCU earlier in the day, had 10 combined aces against Mobile, with Uitenham, Gabriela Silva, Michaela Clayton, and Charlie Henderson each providing a pair. Clayton was tops on the team with 22 digs.
Kamrynn Williams had 30 assists on the night to go along with 9 digs, while Felise Jones had 17 assists and 6 digs.
Defensively, XULA had 20 combined block assists on the night, with Lauryn Matthews logging a team-high 7.
The Big Easy Blastoff continues with five matches on Saturday, two of which will feature the Gold Nuggets. XULA plays LSU-Shrevport at 2 p.m. and crosstown rival Dillard at 7 p.m.
All matches will be played in the Convocation Center.
