JONESBORO, Georgia -- Nour Abbes began the 2014-15 tennis season the way she ended the previous one: winning.The Xavier University of Louisiana sophomore earned singles and doubles victories Thursday in the A-flight main draw of the HBCU National Championships.
Abbes, seeded fifth in singles, defeated Tuskegee's 12th-seeded Reicia North 6-0, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals. Abbes then teamed with senior Carmen Nelson -- who was playing collegiately in her hometown for the first time -- for an 8-3 victory against Alcorn State's Siobhan Ryan-Bovey and Ivana Boberic. That advanced Abbes and Nelson to the quarterfinals.
"Nour played well in singles and doubles," 12th-year XU coach Alan Green said. "She has a tough singles draw, so she will have to continue to play well to advance. In doubles she and Carmen played solid and smart. They played to their strengths."
Advancing in the main draw for the XU men was seventh-seeded Kevin Chaouat, a junior who reached the quarterfinals of the singles C-flight with a 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-6) victory against Prairie View A&M's 10th-seeded James Jackson.
"Kevin got off to a rough start but was able to come back and win," Green said. "He knows he can't afford to do that with his next opponent."
Abbes was 17-0 in singles and 16-2 in doubles as an XU freshman and was selected first-team NAIA All-America and ITA/NAIA National Rookie of the Year. She also received the NAIA National Championship's Marvin P. Richmond Outstanding Player Award. Chaouat was the men's Louisiana Newcomer of the Year.
After losing singles matches in the main draw, Nelson and sophomore Adam Albrecht advanced in their consolation brackets with victories.
The tournament will conclude Sunday. It's the first of three Xavier fall events.
Results: Men Women
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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