XU Rush win third in a row against a top-15 NAIA opponent

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's men defeated Shorter 9-0 Monday at City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center for their third consecutive victory against a top-15 NAIA opponent.

Shorter's women defeated Xavier 8-1.

It was the fifth straight victory overall for the ninth-ranked Gold Rush (5-1). Shorter (6-4) is ranked 10th.

Steffen Giles-Osborn clinched the dual with a 6-4, 6-4 decision against Colt Kelley at No. 4 singles. Loic Didavi, Zach Taylor and Viktor Svoboda won at the top three flights in three sets — the latter two in super-tiebreakers — after the dual had been decided. Didavi, playing at No. 1, improved to a team-best 14-2 in singles for the year. Svoboda, playing at No. 3, won for the third straight dual after dropping the first set.

"Shorter played without a couple of their best guys, and we just took advantage of the situation," XU coach Alan Green said. "It was still a good win for us because the other players in Shorter's lineup stepped their games up. I expected them to. That's what I warned our guys about."

Shorter's women (11-2) earned their sixth consecutive victory. Freshman Amanda Materre won at No. 2 singles for the second straight day for the Gold Nuggets (0-9); she defeated Margot Vetter 7-5, 6-1.

Both Xavier teams will play Tennessee Wesleyan at 3 p.m. Tuesday at City Park. Tennessee Wesleyan's men are 21st in the NAIA.

Results: Men Women

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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