Saturday, October 11, 2014

Abbes, 30-0 at XU in singles, reaches "Super Bowl" final

SUMTER, South Carolina -- Xavier University of Louisiana's unflappable and unbeaten Nour Abbes survived an early deficit Saturday afternoon to earn a women's singles semifinal victory in the "Super Bowl" of the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships.

After dropping three of the first four games, the XU sophomore won 11 of the final 12 games to produce a 6-3, 6-1 victory against NCAA Division III champion Ashnaa Rao of Johns Hopkins.

In the morning, Abbes won the NAIA championship -- the first for XU in this event -- by defeating Oklahoma Baptist's Anastasiya Baranova 6-1, 6-4. That title qualified Abbes for the "Super Bowl."

Abbes is 30-0 in her XU singles career, 13-0 this season.

NOUR ABBES
NAIA Women's Singles Champion of the 2014 USTA/ ITA
National Small College Championships
"In the beginning I was trying to find the right tactics because I didn't know my opponent," Abbes said. "I just had to hang in there and not let (Rao) gain too much confidence because she's a good player.

"As soon as she started making mistakes, I used the momentum to take control of the match. And coach (Alan) Green was very encouraging and kept me focused, so I'm grateful for that."

Abbes will play NCAA Division II champion Valentine Confalonieri of Lynn for the overall championship. Confaloneri, seeded first in her division, defeated Joanna Savva of Tyler Junior College 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 in the other semifinal.

All the "Super Bowl" champions in singles and doubles will earn wild cards into the USTA/ ITA Intercollegiate Indoor Championships next month in Flushing, N.Y.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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