Wednesday, May 9, 2012

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)

RankTeamRecordPointsLast
1Fresno Pacific (12)22-13121
2Embry-Riddle (Fla.)18-33022
3Oklahoma Christian16-32903
4Azusa Pacific19-22844
5Auburn Montgomery16-72725
6Vanguard14-102626
7Xavier17-72527
8Westmont11-92418
9Point Loma Nazarene12-102279
10William Carey16-422510
11Concordia (Calif.)8-1220911
12Lindsey Wilson18-520712
13Aquinas25-219013
14Bethany (Kan.)21-318414
15Belhaven15-317215
16Cumberland17-216216
17Warner13-414917
18Campbellsville14-614318
19Lewis-Clark State11-912919
20Northwestern Ohio19-712120
21Olivet Nazarene15-411022
22Shorter12-1510521
23Webber International15-78823
24Our Lady of the Lake7-76724
25Lee (Tenn.)9-86325

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.


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

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