Thursday, March 22, 2012

XU's Taylor wins GCAC-record fifth award in two seasons

ZACH TAYLOR
XAVIER GOLD RUSH TENNIS
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — For the fifth time in two years — a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference record — and the second time this season, Xavier University of Louisiana's Zach Taylor is the GCAC Player of the Week in the men's tennis.

Taylor, a senior from Monroe, La., and a graduate of St. Frederick High School and Ventura College, earned the award for March 12-18 after being the only XU player to go 2-0 in singles and 2-0 in doubles. The Gold Rush lost 5-4 to NCAA Division I member Nicholls State and defeated city rival Loyola 9-0.

Taylor and Loic Didavi, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's No. 3 NAIA doubles team, won 11 of their past 12 matches. Taylor, ranked 17th in singles, won 10 of his past 12 matches.

Taylor broke a tie with former teammate Hassan Abbas, now an XU student assistant coach, for most conference awards in a career. This is the fourth year that the GCAC has bestowed weekly tennis honors.

The Xavier men and women will play nationally ranked Auburn Montgomery at 4 p.m. Saturday at the University of New Orleans in the final home match for Taylor and three other seniors: Steffen Giles-Osborn and Sean Richardson on the men's team and Ashley McGill on the women's.

All four teams are in the NAIA top 25. The Gold Rush are ninth, and the Gold Nuggets are 24th; AUM's men are fifth, and the women are first.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director

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