Top-5 Auburn Montgomery teams defeat Rush, Nuggets

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NEW ORLEANS -- Auburn Montgomery overcame a doubles deficit and defeated Xavier University of Louisiana 6-3 Saturday in a matchup of ranked NAIA men's teams at the University of New Orleans Tennis Center.

AUM's top-ranked women defeated 24th-ranked Xavier 7-2.

AUM's men (9-6), ranked fifth, lost 2-of-3 doubles matches but reeled off five consecutive singles victories against ninth-ranked Xavier (10-4). Bence Toth clinched for the Warhawks with his 6-3, 6-3 victory against Viktor Svoboda at No. 2.

The Warhawks are 8-0 against NAIA opponents this season. The Gold Rush lost for the third time in four duals and to AUM for the second time in 14 days.

XU got doubles victories from Loic Didavi and Zach Taylor at No. 1 and Sean Richardson and Steffen Giles-Osborn at No. 3. Richardson scored the lone Gold Rush singles victory with a 6-4, 7-5 decision against Matias Dasso.

AUM's other victory against the Rush was 5-4 in the championship match of the AUM Invitational on March 11.

Auburn Montgomery's women (14-1) forfeited matches at No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles because of five available players. But the Warhawks dropped a combined three games in winning six other matches. The Gold Nuggets' only close match was at No. 2 singles, where XU freshman Amanda Materre retired because of injury after trailing Jade Curtis, the reigning NAIA Player of ther Week, 7-5, 3-4.

Ana Veselinovic, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's top-ranked NAIA singles player, defeated XU's Kourtney Howell (XU) 6-2, 6-0 at the top flight.

The Gold Nuggets (3-16) have dropped seven of their past eight duals.

It was the final home appearance for seniors Taylor, Richardson and Giles-Osborn of the Rush and Ashley McGill of the Nuggets. McGill, who plays No. 3 doubles with Jordyn Goody and No. 6 singles, didn't have to play because of the forfeits.

Both Xavier teams will travel next weekend to California for four duals apiece against ranked NAIA opponents during spring break. The Rush and Nuggets will play Point Loma Nazarene (men ranked seventh, women ranked sixth) on April 2, Westmont (men 10th, women tied for 21st) on April 3, Concordia (both teams eighth) on April 4 and Vanguard (men sixth, women 15th) on April 5.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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