Gold Nuggets throttle Rust to win GCAC title outright

NEW ORLEANS — For the fourth consecutive season and the eighth time in nine years, the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season volleyball championship belongs solely to Xavier University of Louisiana.

The Gold Nuggets secured an outright championship — plus the No. 1 seeding in the GCAC Tournament — with a 25-7, 25-11, 25-5 victory against Rust at Dillard’s Dent Hall Saturday.

XULA (25-5, 12-0) has won nine consecutive GCAC regular-season titles, including a shared crown in 2015 with SUNO.

XULA hit .460 and got seven kills from Kayla Black and five apiece from Zora Barnett and Bria Mayes. The Gold Nuggets had a 13-0 advantaged in aces, led by Taylor McGee with four and Jennifer Torres, Vivica Price-Spraggins and Ema Causevic with two apiece. Maya Smith had three blocks.

It was the first of two GCAC matches for XULA at Dillard Saturday.

When XULA Volleyball Clinched GCAC Regular-Season Championships
Year Tie for Championship / Outright Championship
2011 Oct. 15, SUNO lost at Dillard 25-15, 25-18, 25-20 / Oct. 29, at SUNO, 25-12, 15-25, 25-19, 25-8
2012 N/A Nov. 1, home vs. SUNO, 21-25, 17-25, 25-15, 25-12, 15-7
2013 N/A Oct. 30, home vs. Dillard, 25-18, 25-18, 25-22
2014 Oct. 30, home vs. SUNO, 26-24, 25-12, 25-20 / Nov. 1, at Philander Smith, 25-10, 25-11, 23-25, 25-16
2015 Nov. 9, at Dillard, 30-28, 25-16, 25-15 N/A (XULA, SUNO shared title)
2016 Oct. 15, home vs. Dillard, 25-18, 26-24, 23-25, 25-14 / Oct. 20, at SUNO, 25-13, 25-21, 25-23
2017 Oct. 21, at Talladega, 25-15, 25-20, 25-12 / Oct. 26, home vs. SUNO, 25-12, 25-19, 25-9
2018 Nov. 1, home vs. Tougaloo, 25-13, 25-18, 25-8 / Nov. 4, at Tougaloo, 25-19, 25-13, 27-25
2019 Oct. 19, home vs. Tougaloo, 25-13, 25-10, 25-10 / Nov. 2, vs. Rust (at Dillard), 25-7, 25-11, 25-8