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| COACH ALAN GREEN MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TENNIS XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA |
It was the third consecutive victory during the past 10 days for the Gold Nuggets (13-7) against a top-10 opponent. The XU women, who are ranked sixth, are 9-0 this season against top-25 NAIA opponents.
Auburn Montgomery's men defeated Xavier 6-3.
The Gold Nuggets took advantage of an AUM team which had just four available players. AUM's Jade Curtis, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's top-ranked NAIA singles player and winner of her last 53 singles matches, did not play because of an injury. Morgane Zowczak, ranked 34th in singles, did not play because of illness. AUM forfeits at No. 3 doubles and No. 5 and 6 singles were the result, and Xavier clinched its first-ever tennis victory against AUM by winning two doubles matches.
"It was a bittersweet victory," XU coach Alan Green said. "We think we could've matched up well against AUM if they had a full lineup available. But I think we have proven to everyone that we have played the toughest schedule in the NAIA and we have not lost to anyone we played (in the NAIA).
Our team has earned the right to be considered for No. 1. But it only matters to me if we can finish the season that way."
Kourtney Howell and Brion Flowers defeated Chanel Cunningham and Maria Fernanda Vargas 8-4 at No. 1 doubles, then Amanda Materre and Simone-Alyse Ewell clinched the dual at No. 2 with their 8-2 victory against Tiffany William and Hagar Caro.
The Nuggets picked up just one more point thereafter in a match which was played: Materre's 6-3, 6-3 victory against Vargas at No. 3 singles.
The XU women have won five straight and nine of their last 11 duals. AUM is 9-7. The Nuggets were 0-8 against AUM from 2004-12 and never won a contested match against the Warhawks before Saturday.
The victory also resulted in a plaque for the Nuggets. Xavier and AUM were the only teams to go unbeaten during the AUM Invitational in early March, and AUM coach Rolando Vargas and Green agreed to let Saturday's match decide the championship of that tournament. Vargas was true to his word and presented the plaque to Green before departing.
The Gold Rush (11-7) also won two doubles matches — Loic Didavi and Kyle Montrel defeated Tim Hewitt and Bence Toth 8-4, and Nikita Soifer and Viktor Svoboda beat Nicolas Pinones-Haltenhoff and Othmane Lalami 8-5 — but managed only one singles victory, Montrel's 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) decision against Miguel Grifol. Toth clinched for AUM (13-3) with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 decision against Svoboda which snapped Svoboda's nine-match singles win streak.
The Rush will conclude the regular season with an 11 a.m. home dual against Jackson State on April 14. The Nuggets have nothing else on their regular-season schedule, but Green said that could change. Both XU teams will compete April 19-20 in an NAIA unaffiliated group tournament at Jonesboro, Ga., and attempt to earn automatic bids to next month's NAIA National Championship at Mobile, Ala.
Results: Men Women
By Ed Cassiere, SID
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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