The victory was the fourth in a row for the Gold Nuggets (15-4, 11-0), who will attempt to clinch a share of a fourth straight GCAC regular-season championship at home on Thursday against SUNO. Xavier has won 54 consecutive matches against GCAC opponents -- 44 in the regular season -- and 52 straight against HBCUs. The Gold Nuggets are 6-1 on the road this season.
Juniors Claudia Haywood, Franziska Pirkl and Jodi Hill and freshman Jada Broussard combined to hit .721 for Xavier on 43 attempts. None of the four committed an error. Haywood had 10 kills and hit .833, Hill had nine kills and hit .600, Broussard -- who sat out the third set -- had seven kills and hit .875, and Pirkl had six kills and hit .625.
Haywood's percentage equaled the highest in a match by an XU player with a minimum of 10 attacks since the program resumed in 2010. Haywood hit .833 at Trinity Baptist in 2012.
Broussard was perfect in the opening set, producing four kills in as many attempts and tacking on a pair of blocks. Hill had two kills during Xavier's 8-0 run to start the second set.
Xavier trailed 6-3 in the third set before closing with a 22-6 run which included five Haywood kills in six swings.
The Gold Nuggets finished with 43 kills and seven errors, a season low, in 77 attacks. Chinedu Echebelem had six kills, and CeCe Williams had five. Echebelem had nine digs and Williams eight, and Pirkl had 31 assists, six digs and three blocks.
Kayla Jones served three of Xavier's four aces. Edward Waters (10-17, 2-11) had only one ace, none by freshman Kaylin Davison, the NAIA leader in aces per set. Davison failed to serve an ace in two matches against Xavier this season.
Xavier and SUNO will meet for the second time this year at 7 p.m. Thursday at XU's Convocation Center. It will be a Dig Pink match for breast cancer awareness, and fans are encouraged to wear pink that day.
The Gold Nuggets scored six of the final seven points at SUNO on Oct. 1 to rally for a five-set victory.
Box Score
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information
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