All-Louisiana honors for XU's Montrel, Abbes, Chaouat

Nour Abbes

                                          Nour Abbes

  

Kyle Montrel

Kevin Chaouat

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Kyle Montrel and Nour Abbes are first-team selections on the 2013-14 All-Louisiana tennis teams announced late Saturday by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, and Kevin Chaouat of the Gold Rush is the men's Newcomer of the Year.
     
Montrel, a sophomore from Atlanta and a graduate of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, is a repeat first-team selection. Abbes, from Tunis, Tunisia, and a graduate of Lycée Sportif d'El Menzah, is the first XU freshman female to be chosen All-Louisiana. Chaouat, a sophomore from Sarcelles, France, is the Gold Rush's third state Newcomer of the Year in five seasons.
     
Montrel was 16-10 in singles and 19-7 in doubles to help the Gold Rush defeat seven top-25 NAIA teams and two from NCAA Division I. He was selected the ITA/NAIA South Region Player to Watch earlier this month.
     
Abbes was 17-0 in singles — including victories against All-Louisiana first-teamers Klaudia Gawlik of McNeese State and Renee Villarreal of Southeastern Louisiana — and 16-2 in doubles. She won her final 12 doubles matches with Simone-Alyse Ewell as her partner and earned postseason top-10 ITA individual rankings in singles (No. 2) and doubles (No. 9).
     
Chaouat, a transfer from Embry-Riddle (Fla.), was 9-8 in singles and 17-10 in doubles. He teamed with Tushar Mandlekar to win 14 of their last 19 doubles matches, with eight of those victories against ranked NAIA schools and two against NCAA Division I.
     
An LSWA panel of sports information directors selected the teams.
     
Montrel and Abbes were named to their second All-America teams of the season on Friday.
     
Xavier's women were 17-7, reached the semifinals of the NAIA National Championship for the second consecutive year and ranked third in the NAIA postseason coaches poll. The XU men were 13-12, reached the national quarterfinals for the third straight year and ranked eighth in the postseason.

2013-14 All-Louisiana Tennis
WOMEN
FIRST TEAM
Klara Vyskocilova, senior, Tulane
Klaudia Gawlik, sophomore, McNeese State
Renee Villarreal, sophomore, Southeastern Louisiana
Natayla Krutova, sophomore, Northwestern State
Sara Castellano, freshman, McNeese State
Nour Abbes, freshman, Xavier

SECOND TEAM
Alexandra Starkova, sophomore, Louisiana Tech
Joana Vale Costa, freshman, LSU
Medy Blankvoort, senior, Louisiana-Monroe
Julia Kral, freshman, McNeese State
Noel Scott, junior, LSU
Soledad Calderon Arroyo, sophomore, New Orleans

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Klara Vyskocilova, Tulane
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Noel Scott, LSU
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Sara Castellano, McNeese State
COACH OF THE YEAR: (tie) Chad Camper, Louisiana Tech; Danielle Steinberg, McNeese State

MEN
FIRST TEAM
Dominik Koepfer, sophomore, Tulane
Chris Simpson, junior, LSU
Nico Mertens, sophomore, Nicholls State
Rick de Groot, senior, Louisiana-Lafayette
Jao Chi-San, freshman, Tulane
Kyle Montrel, sophomore, Xavier

SECOND TEAM
Hunter Johnson, sophomore, Louisiana-Lafayette
Partha Adavelly, freshman, Nicholls State
Justin Butsch, freshman, LSU
Sebastian Ray, freshman, Tulane
Jake Wynan, sophomore, Louisiana-Lafayette
Edgar Lopez, sophomore, Louisiana-Lafayette

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Dominik Koepfer, Tulane
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Kevin Chaouat, Xavier
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Jao Chi-San, Tulane
COACH OF THE YEAR: Mark Jeffrey, Louisiana-Lafayette

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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