Gold Nuggets complete RRAC sweep at Southwest and extend streaks

HOBBS, N.M. — Xavier University of Louisiana outhit the University of the Southwest .279 to minus-.103 Saturday in a 25-12, 25-13, 25-17 Red River Athletic Conference women’s volleyball victory.

The Gold Nuggets (6-2 overall, 2-0 RRAC) completed a two-match sweep of the Mustangs (0-8, 0-2). It was the fifth consecutive victory for XULA, which also extended these streaks:

• 13 consecutive victories in RRAC regular-season matches.
• 26 consecutive victories in conference regular-season matches on opponents’ courts — that covers all of Pat Kendrick’s six seasons as XULA head coach.
• 18 consecutive sets won in the RRAC regular season.

XULA statistical leaders included:

• Kennedy Wade with seven kills, two aces and seven digs.
• Stella Dineva with seven kills and a .500 hitting percentage.
• Angela Egonu with five kills, one ace, one block and eight digs.
• Maya Smith with four kills, one block and a .500 hitting percentage.
• Emi Riglioni with 12 assists and five digs.

Alexia Esparza and Valeria Trevino had seven kills apiece for Southwest, which has lost 12 straight dating to last season.

XULA — which seeks its 12th consecutive regular-season conference championship and second in the RRAC — is 132-3 in regular-season conference matches since the start of 2011. The Gold Nuggets played in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference before joining the RRAC in July 2021.

Next for XULA will be two RRAC matches Saturday — 1 and 5 p.m. — against Texas College at the University of New Orleans Human Performance Center. UNO is the Gold Nuggets’ venue for home matches through the end of October while XULA awaits installation of a new floor at its Convocation Center. The previous floor suffered water damage in August.