Xavier Rush await Point Loma-Mobile winner in NAIA 2nd round

NEW ORLEANS — For the second consecutive season, Xavier University of Louisiana has a first-round bye in the NAIA Men's Tennis Championship at Mobile, Ala. The Gold Rush will play at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 16 against the winner of an opening-round match between Mobile and Point Loma Nazarene.

The NAIA announced the pairings Tuesday.

The XU men (17-7) are seeded seventh, the same position as in the coaches poll announced Monday. Point Loma is the No. 10 seed, and Mobile is 24th. Xavier is in the top 10 for the 10th straight time, including all eight sthis season, and in 13 of the last 14 polls.

The Gold Rush received an automatic bid by virtue of winning an unaffiliated group tournament. It's the fourth consecutive season that the Rush compete at nationals.

Xavier won 5-4 at Point Loma Nazarene on April 2. The Rush have not played Mobile since the Rams left the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference for the Southern States Athletic Conference in the summer of 2010, but Xavier was 8-0 against Mobile from 2008-10, including victories in the finals of GCAC tournaments in 2008 and 2009.

Loic Didavi, seniors Zach Taylor and Steffen Giles-Osborn and sophomore Viktor Svoboda are Xavier's top four players. Didavi is eighth, Taylor 19th, Svoboda 21st and Giles-Osborn 47th in the Campbell's-Intercollegiate Tennis Association NAIA singles rankings. Didavi and Corey Huggins were chosen NAIA Men's Tennis Player of the Week on consecutive occasions in April.

Fresno Pacific is the defending champion. Copeland-Cox Tennis Center is the tournament venue.

NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, May 6) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Fresno Pacific (12) 22-1 312 1 2 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 18-3 302 2 3 Oklahoma Christian 16-3 290 3 4 Azusa Pacific 19-2 284 4 5 Auburn Montgomery 16-7 272 5 6 Vanguard 14-10 262 6 7 Xavier 17-7 252 7 8 Westmont 11-9 241 8 9 Point Loma Nazarene 12-10 227 9 10 William Carey 16-4 225 10 11 Concordia (Calif.) 8-12 209 11 12 Lindsey Wilson 18-5 207 12 13 Aquinas 25-2 190 13 14 Bethany (Kan.) 21-3 184 14 15 Belhaven 15-3 172 15 16 Cumberland 17-2 162 16 17 Warner 13-4 149 17 18 Campbellsville 14-6 143 18 19 Lewis-Clark State 11-9 129 19 20 Northwestern Ohio 19-7 121 20 21 Olivet Nazarene 15-4 110 22 22 Shorter 12-15 105 21 23 Webber International 15-7 88 23 24 Our Lady of the Lake 7-7 67 24 25 Lee (Tenn.) 9-8 63 25 Others receiving votes: Spring Arbor 56, Pikeville 55, McPherson 50, Biola 30, Bethel (Tenn.) 8, Northwood (Fla.) 7, Asbury 6, Hastings 5, Davenport 3, Graceland 1, Georgetown (Ky.) 1, Oklahoma Baptist 1, Roberts Wesleyan 1, SCAD Atlanta 1. Tournament bracket (PDF) NAIA tournament website

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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