Xavier's Howell and Didavi are GCAC Players of the Week

Kourtney Howell

Loic Didavi

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Kourtney Howell and Loic Didavi are the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Players of the Week in tennis for Feb. 25-March 3.

Howell, a junior from Cypress, Texas, and a graduate of Cypress Woods High School, won three matches this past week, two in singles. On Friday she defeated NCAA Division I Southern University's top singles player, Demetria Woods, 6-2, 6-0. Howell also won 6-0, 6-0 on Thursday against Ashley McLendon of NAIA No. 22 Belhaven.

Didavi, a senior from Cotonou, Benin, and a graduate of Lycée Jean Dautet, La Rochelle, won at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles in the only Gold Rush dual of the week, a 5-4 home victory Thursday against NAIA No. 12 Belhaven. Didavi defeated Nikita Lisov 6-4, 6-1 and teamed with Kyle Montrel for an 8-3 decision against David Mejia and Daniel Duarte. The Didavi-Montrel doubles team is 7-0 this semester.

Howell and Didavi were NAIA All-Americans in 2012. This is the fifth time that Howell won the GCAC award — she is tied with XU's Anastesia Opata for the most GCAC weekly awards in women's tennis in a career — and it's the second time for Didavi. It's the third consecutive week that the Gold Rush won this award — Montrel and Nikita Soifer were the previous honorees — and the second time in three weeks for the Gold Nuggets to win. Amanda Materre also won the award.

Both XU teams will play Friday in the AUM Invitational at Montgomery, Ala. The women will play NAIA No. 20 Cumberland at 9 a.m. at the AUM Tennis Complex, and the men will play NAIA No. 24 Coastal Georgia at 1 p.m. at Lagoon Park Tennis Center. XU coach Alan Green announced Tuesday that the men of NAIA No. 4 Lindsey Wilson have dropped the Gold Rush from its schedule — they were to meet March 13 in Hattiesburg, Miss.

New NAIA tennis team rankings will be announced later today. In the previous NAIA poll, XU's men were No. 10, and the women were 11th.

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