Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Echebelem leads Xavier past Wiley in 4 sets


NEW ORLEANS -- Chinedu Echebelem, the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year, had a season-high 19 kills and a career-best 28 digs Tuesday to lead Xavier University of Louisiana to a 29-27, 25-22, 23-25, 25-17 women's volleyball victory against Wiley.

The Gold Nuggets (3-2) have won three straight and completed a two-match season sweep of the Lady Wildcats (4-9).

Darian Harris had 31 digs, the most in a match by a Xavier player since the program resumed in 2010. Claudia Haywood had 10 kills, Jodi Hill nine and Jada Broussard a career-high seven for the Gold Nuggets. Kayla Jones had 13 digs, Franziska Pirkl had a season-high-tying 50 assists, and Haywood had a season-high six blocks.

Rebecca Moustapha had 14 kills and AnJonee Mathis nine for Wiley, and Diana Castaneda had 24 digs.

Xavier rallied from a 24-22 first-set deficit and scored the final three points on kills by Echebelem and Haywood and blocks by Pirkl and Haywood. The Gold Nuggets scored the final six points of the second set and clinched on Pirkl's kill.

CeCe Williams, limited to one kill and a minus-.153 hitting percentage in the first three sets, had five kills and hit .417 to lead the Nuggets in the deciding set.

Echebelem's kills and Harris' digs also are Convocation Center records. This is Xavier's second volleyball season in the facility, which replaced The Barn.

Echebelem's kill total was one less than her career high. Her previous best in digs was 22.

Xavier outhit Wiley .146 to .053 -- .326 to .083 in the final set -- and had advantages of 57-44 in kills, 98-90 in digs and 8-6 in blocks.

The victory was Xavier's 42nd in a row and its third this season against HBCUs.

It was Wiley's second match of the day. The Lady Wildcats won 25-16, 25-18, 25-18 at SUNO.

Xavier will visit Tougaloo at 5 p.m. Monday and play its next home match at noon on Sept. 20 against Philander Smith. Both opponents are GCAC members.


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