This Week in New Orleans Athletics - October 25-31

CROSS COUNTRY
The New Orleans men's and women's cross country teams are set to do battle at the 2021 Southland Conference Championships, set for this Friday, Oct. 29. The women's 6K race will get the day started at 9 AM CT while the men's 8K event will follow behind at 10 AM.
 
Both the men's and women's squads set new program records for best finish and lowest point total scored since the Privateers joined the Southland at the 2020 championship meet. The men finished fourth with 113 points, a six-spot and 93-point improvement from its previous program mark. The women also came in fourth with 112 points to beat out its old Southland school record by seven spots and 162 points.
 
It was the best championship meet finish for the men's group since the Privateers placed fourth at the 2005 Sun Belt Championships and the best for the women's side since a fourth-place finish at the 2002 Sun Belt Championships. 
 
New Orleans will enter the championship meet ranked in a school-record seventh on the men's side and eighth on the women's according to the latest edition of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) regional rankings.
 
VOLLEYBALL
The Privateers will conclude their 2021 road slate this week when they face the UIW Cardinals on Thursday (6:30 p.m.) and the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders on Saturday (1 p.m.).
 
New Orleans has five matches remaining until the conference tournament where their seed is still to be determined. The conference tournament will be played in Houston, Texas at Sharp Gym from Nov. 18-21.
 
Trinity Jackson has five double-doubles on the season after picking up a pair of them last week. Jackson had 14 kills and 12 digs against Northwestern State and followed that up with 13 kills and 13 digs against Southeastern.
 
Four Privateers have at least 35 total blocks on the season: Maxine Walsh, Atira Jells, Sh'Diamond Holly and Alexis Parrish. As a team, the Privateers are third in the Southland in blocks at 2.1 per set heading into the week.
 
As the starting setter last week, Tara Goolsby accrued 66 assists (8.25 per set). Goolsby also added 19 digs with 13 coming against Northwestern State.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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