Gold Nuggets win, Gold Rush lose at Belhaven

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Simone-Alyse Ewell and Sha'Nel Bruins won 6-0, 6-0 in singles for the second day in row to lead NAIA No. 3 Xavier University in a 5-0 women's tennis victory against Belhaven on Saturday.

Xavier's men lost 5-4 to Belhaven in a matchup of ranked teams.

After sweeping three doubles matches, Ewell gave the Gold Nuggets (3-2) a 4-0 lead with her victory against Elizabeth Chrestman. Bruins then defeated Ellen Scott at No. 6 to clinch the dual. None of the other four singles matches were played.

Ewell and Brion Flowers beat Mary Lichlyter and Rachel Jefcoat 8-4 at No. 2 doubles. Nour Abbes and Kourtney Howell improved to 3-0 after their 8-0 victory against Stephanie Smith and Katie Campbell at No. 1, and Amber Brown and Brandi Nelson defeated Chrestman and Brittany Keeling 8-1 at No. 3.

In the men's dual, Enrico Patriarca clinched for 13th-ranked Belhaven with a 7-5, 6-2 victory against Jordan Harrell at No. 6 singles. XU's Kyle Montrel tied the dual at 4 with his 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) victory against Andre Borghi at No. 1.

The Gold Rush (2-3), ranked sixth, won 2-of-3 doubles matches. Montrel and Nikita Soifer beat Nikita Lisov and Jefferson Nino 8-5 at No. 1, and Harrell and Tushar Mandlekar defeated Daniel Prado and David Mejia 9-8 (7-3) at No. 3. It was the second consecutive day that Harrell and Mandlekar won in a tiebreaker.

Soifer scored the other Gold Rush singles victory, 6-3, 6-2 against Lisov at No. 2.

Belhaven's men are 2-1, and the women are 1-2.

"The Nuggets were on cruise control," xU coach Alan Green said. "It was a tough, grueling loss for our men. We fell behind in and managed to tie it, but we just couldn't pull it out at the end. We beat Belhaven by the same way so last year, so we know how they felt."

Xavier will play Georgia Gwinnett's fifth-ranked men and 20th-ranked women at 10 a.m. Sunday in Hattiesburg, Miss.

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