3 Nuggets are All-America, including Howell on 1st team

Kourtney Howell

Brion Flowers

Amanda Materre

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's record-setting women's tennis program set another record Monday when the NAIA announced its 2013 All-America team. For the first time in the program's history, the Gold Nuggets have three All-Americans: Kourtney Howell on the first team and Brion Flowers and Amanda Materre on the second team.

Those three helped Xavier finish 19-8 and become first XU team in any sport to reach the semifinals of an NAIA National Championship. The Gold Nuggets were ranked first in the final three coaches polls entering the national tournament, and they repeated as champion of an NAIA unaffiliated group qualifying tournament. The Nuggets on April 16 became the first XU team in any sport to be No. 1 in an NAIA poll.
    
Howell, a junior from Cypress, Texas, and a graduate of Cypress Woods High School, was 20-11 in singles and, with Flowers as her partner, 23-11 in doubles this season. Howell had a team-leading five singles victories against ranked opponents. Howell is All-America for the second consecutive year; she was second team in 2012. She is the program's first first-team All-American since Anastesia Opata in 2009.
    
Flowers, from Lafayette, La., and a graduate of St. Thomas More High School, is the first XU women's tennis freshman to earn NAIA All-America. She was 10-17 in singles and 23-11 in doubles. She and Howell were the USTA/ITA NAIA South Regional doubles runner-up. It was the first time the Gold Nuggets produced a finalist in that fall event. Flowers and Howell also reached No. 1 in the ITA NAIA doubles rankings of April 17.
    
Materre, a sophomore from Richmond, Texas, and a graduate of Westside High School, was 19-5 in singles and 15-10 in doubles. She led the Gold Nuggets in singles and overall winning percentage and closed the season with eight consecutive singles victories.
    
The ITA will announce its NAIA All-Americans after compiling its final singles and doubles rankings.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information DirectorXULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA