Thursday, February 7, 2013

Gold Rush, in first men's dual at new facility, beat Loyola

NEW ORLEANS — Nikita Soifer and Kyle Montrel didn't lose a game in singles Wednesday to lead NAIA No. 8 Xavier University of Louisiana in a 7-2 men's tennis victory against city rival Loyola.
    

It was the first XU men's dual at the new XU Tennis Center, which opened in late October. The Gold Rush (1-1) and Wolfpack (0-2) finally played after their Jan. 25 meeting was postponed.
    

Soifer, playing No. 2 singles, defeated Jaron Belcher 6-0, 6-0. Montrel defeated Joshua Laviolette by the same score at No. 3.
    

Xavier and Loyola played the singles matches before doubles. Loyola won by default at No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles because the Gold Rush had only five available players.
    

All-American Loic Didavi clinched the dual with a 6-2, 6-2 decision against Tarun Surat at No. 1 singles. In the other singles matches, Benjamin Brading beat David Mayhall 6-2, 6-2 at No. 4, and Viktor Svoboda defeated Gregory Jones 6-1, 6-0 at No. 5.
    

In doubles, Didavi and Montrel defeated Surat and Belcher 8-3 at No. 1, and Soifer and Brading beat Laviolette and Mayhall 8-5 at No. 2.
    


"We played well," XU coach Alan Green said. "We were anxious to get out there because we hadn't played in more than a week. We'll get back to work tomorrow and get ready for a big one Friday against William Carey."
    
The Gold Rush will play William Carey, ranked sixth in the NAIA, at 2 p.m. Friday at XU.
    
NOTES:  All four Xavier teams in new facilities this season won their home openers. Men's basketball beat Morehouse and women's basketball beat Johnson & Wales (Fla.) to christen the Convocation Center on Nov. 3, and women's tennis defeated Loyola on Jan. 25 . . . Green said the XU men's home match against Jackson State was pushed back one day to April 14 at 11 a.m. . . . Both Loyola losses this semester are to ranked opponents. The Wolfpack lost 7-2 Friday to NAIA No. 12 Belhaven.


By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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