XU Gold Rush defeat Hastings 8-1 in NAIA first round

MOBILE, Alabama -- Tushar Mandlekar won his final 16 games Tuesday to help ninth-ranked Xavier University of Louisiana win 8-1 against Hastings in the opening round of the NAIA Men's Tennis National Championship.

The Gold Rush (12-11) will play eighth-ranked Belhaven (16-4) at 1 p.m. Wednesday and attempt to reach the quarterfinals for the third consecutive year.

Mandlekar and Kevin Chaouat broke a tie at 4 to defeat Joe Ritzdorf and Mark Gueswell 8-4 at No. 2 doubles and score Xavier's first point of the dual. Mandlekar gave the Rush a 4-0 lead with his 6-0, 6-0 victory against Isaac Mertens at No. 4 singles.

Mandlekar is the second Gold Rush player -- the first freshman -- to win 6-0, 6-0 at the national tournament. He is 6-0 in his last seven singles matches after losing 11-of-13 to start the spring semester.

"I was putting pressure on myself earlier in the season," Mandlekar said. "I believe in myself now. I'm playing very well and feel good about myself. I feel good about the team, too."

Nikita Soifer clinched when he defeated Seton Bachle 6-2, 6-0 at the second flight.

In matchups of Wilson/ITA NAIA regional players to watch, Xavier's Kyle Montrel defeated McKay Inman twice. Montrel and Soifer beat Inman and Bachle 8-2 at No. 1 doubles, and Montrel defeated Inman 6-3, 6-2 at No. 1 singles.

Viktor Svoboda and Adam Albrecht beat Kolby Matheny and Tanner Sandvick 8-5 at No. 3 doubles. In singles, Jordan Harrell defeated Ritzdorf 7-5, 6-2 at No. 3, and Vincenzo Ciccone beat Leland Dexter 6-2, 6-1 at No. 6.

The Broncos (13-13), an unranked Nebraska school and the Great Plains Athletic Conference champion, lost for the first time in seven duals.

"Hastings was a scrappy team that played hard," XU coach Alan Green said. "But we got off to a good start in doubles and handled the hot weather pretty well. Hopefully we can get another good start against Belhaven, but it will be tough."

Xavier lost 5-4 at Belhaven on Feb. 15. The Gold Rush defeated the Blazers 5-3 in the second round at nationals a year ago.

Xavier's top-ranked women (15-6) had a first-round bye and will play 16th-ranked Davenport at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Davenport swept the doubles in a 5-4 victory against Lewis-Clark State. The Panthers (23-4) have a 20-dual win streak.

NOTES: The other Gold Rush player to win 6-0, 6-0 at nationals was Mario Myles. He did it at No. 6 singles against Oklahoma Christian's Maxim Salitra in the 2009 first round . . . The Gold Rush are 3-0 in the first round. Including the XU women, Green's teams are 8-1 in the first round at nationals . . . Ciccone's victory was his first in singles since March 23.

Results

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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