Westmont sweeps Gold Nuggets out of NAIA nationals

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Xavier University of Louisiana’s best-ever volleyball season ended Thursday when Westmont defeated the Gold Nuggets 25-21, 25-17, 25-17 in the NAIA National Championship Presented by Marriott South Sioux City Riverfront.

After qualifying for the NAIA’s final site for the first time, the Gold Nuggets (31-9) lost all three of their matches in Pool H. Westmont’s sweep followed XULA losses in four sets to eighth-ranked Jamestown and ninth-ranked Columbia (Mo.) the previous two days.

“It was a good first experience for our program,” third-year head coach Pat Kendrick said. “I thought we did our best to represent Xavier. We showed some of these top programs who we are. And from talking to various coaches and other people, we made a good impression here.”

XULA led only once against Westmont — at 2-1 in the third set. The Warriors (28-7) led 5-1 and 15-10 in the first set, 7-2 and 19-9 in the second set and 11-6 and 23-15 in the third. The Gold Nuggets’ best opportunity was in the opening set; they cut it to 16-15 when Vivica Price-Spraggins and Taylor McGee blocked a Patty Kerman attack. Then Westmont pulled away with a 7-3 run that included two kills apiece by Lexi Malone and Cassidy Rea.

Kayla Black had 10 kills and a career-high-tying four blocks for XULA, and Price-Spraggins had seven kills and four blocks. McGee had nine digs, and Maya Smith had four blocks.

Malone hit .583 with 16 kills and two blocks for Westmont. Rea hit .435 with 12 kills with two blocks, and Sydny Dunn served the only two aces of the match.

Westmont outhit XULA .262 to .088. It was the Gold Nuggets’ second-lowest percentage of the season.

Westmont, Jamestown and Columbia all finished 2-1 in the pool, forcing a late-Thursday playoff — Jamestown vs. Columbia in a 25-point set, then that winner playing Westmont in another 25-point set — to determine advancement for Friday’s round-of-16 matches. Because of its percentage of sets won in the pool, Westmont earned a bye in the pool playoff and the guarantee of a berth in the Friday bracket.

Had Jamestown and XULA won Thursday, XULA, Columbia and Westmont would have been in the playoff to determine Pool H’s second representative behind Jamestown. But Columbia defeated Jamestown 29-27, 25-22, 25-15 after Westmont beat XULA.

“Our team played a little tense,” Kendrick said. “We explained to them that we still had a chance to advance if the stars aligned properly. But Westmont is a good team with good players. It’s not a mistake that they advanced to Friday.”