It was
imperative, then, that Xavier would be able to take advantage of its
opportunity on Tuesday night (Sept. 5) when the teams met at the Activity
Center.
The Gators
maintained their focus with a three-game sweep, 25-15, 25-11 and 25-11.
Senior
outside hitter Lanie Wagner had a solid all-around effort, as did junior setter
Shannon Shields.
And Xavier’s
two talented sophomores, outside hitter Bri McKnight and middle blocker Jasmine
Knight, gave notice that they should be a factor for the Gators through the
rest of the regular season and into the playoffs.
McKnight
helped get the Gators off and running in the first game, coming up with a
number of key kills.
Knight
provides defensive strength at the net, but on this night became more involved
in the offense.
She finished
off the second game with a kill and began the third game with another power
shot.
“Jaz has
been blocking well, and tonight they (passers) found her for some good shots,’’
said Xavier coach Lamar-Renee Bryant.
XCP returns
to action with another home match on Thursday night (Sept. 7) against Anthem
Boulder Creek. The event begins at 6 p.m.
Next week,
the difficulty factor increases considerably for the Gators with back-to-back
road matches on back-to-back nights, Tuesday (Sept. 12) and Wednesday (Sept.
13) against Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor and Gilbert Perry, respectively.
Then comes a
trip to Las Vegas for the annual Durango Classic, one of the top tournaments in
the nation. Xavier has held its own there in the past and will attempt to do so
again (seven tournament games) on Sept. 15-16.
To make the
trip a success, Bryant said, the team must not let up.
“We have a
lot of things to work on,’’ she said. “Things are going to get a lot tougher,
and we have to make sure we button down.’’
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