XU's Abbes wins final 10 games, rolls to national semifinals

NOUR ABBES

SUMTER, South, Alabama -- Xavier University of Louisiana's Nour Abbes saved three break points in the fifth game to ignite a run which carried her to a 6-2, 6-0 tennis victory Thursday against Adelaide Wood of Northwood (Fla.) in the opening round of the USTA / ITA National Small College Championships.

Abbes -- a sophomore who is 27-0 in singles at Xavier and seeded first in the NAIA division of this tournament -- won the final 10 games. Abbes will play unseeded Alicia Rodriguez of Lindsey Wilson in the semifinals at 10:30 a.m. EDT Friday.

"My serve saved me in those three (break) points," Abbes said. "I found some nice angles with it to make the points easier for myself."

After holding serve in the fifth game, Abbes broke Wood's serve five consecutive times. The second-set shutout was the 13th 6-0 victory of her XU career.

"Wood was a pesky opponent," XU coach Alan Green said. "But once Nour got past that fifth game, she started to dictate the match. Her forehand began to click."

Abbes called the fifth game a turning point "because I gained more confidence in myself after I won it."

Wood was a first-time opponent. Rodriguez -- who upset Evangel's fourth-seeded Amy Fritz 7-5, 6-4 -- will be, too.

"I feel ready physically," Abbes said. "Today wasn't a very long match and the weather wasn't very hot, so I feel good."

Also in the quarterfinals, Georgia Gwinnett's second-seeded Valeria Podda defeated Indiana Wesleyan's Katie Wilson 7-6, 6-0, and Oklahoma Baptist's third-seeded Anastasiya Baranova beat Ivana Vlakic of Concordia (Calif.) 6-3, 6-4.

The finals are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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