XU's Bruins reaches consolation final at South Regional

Sha'Nel Bruins: junior from Colfax, La., and graduate of Grant High School

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Sha'Nel Bruins won three women's singles consolation matches Saturday to reach the title round of the USTA/ITA NAIA South Regional Championships at City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center.
    
Bruins, a junior, won 8-2 in the opening round against Luz Padilla of Point, 8-2 against Kirsten Dickens of Brenau in the quarterfinals and 8-2 against Patricia Recalde of Brenau in the semifinals. Bruins will play Georgia Gwinnett's Judith van Fraaijenhoven in the final at 9 a.m. Sunday at XU Tennis Center. Xavier will be the site of the finals after two days at City Park.
    
 Bruins is Xavier's only representative in the finals. Georgia Gwinnett produced all the finalists in the main draw of men's and women's singles and in men's and women's doubles.
    
Bruins and Brandi Nelson lost 8-4 to Auburn Montgomery's fourth-seeded Celine Lenertz and Alejandra Gil in the quarterfinals of doubles.
    
XU newcomer Karan Salwan suffered his first losses of the fall in the semifinals of singles and doubles. Salwan lost 6-3, 6-1 to defending champion and top-seeded Jordan Cox in singles and, playing with Tushar Mandlekar, lost 8-3 in doubles to unseeded Lachlan McPhee and Matias Hatem. Salwan was seeded fourth in singles and second in doubles with Mandlekar.
    
Xavier's fourth-seeded Kyle Montrel and Kevin Chaouat lost 8-5 to Georgia Gwinnett's Tony Licata and Luke Moreland in men's doubles quarterfinals. In singles quarterfinals, fifth-seeded Montrel lost 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-8) to third-seeded Hatem.
    
The all-Georgia Gwinnett finals will consist of Cox against second-seeded Kevin Konfederak in men's singles, top-seeded Cox and Konfederak against McPhee and Hatem in doubles, top-seeded Valeria Podda against Alyona Vasilyeva in women's singles and second-seeded Podda and Helga Pinones against Vasilyeva and Chiara Di Salvo in doubles. Vasilyeva and Di Salvo upset AUM's top-seeded Paula Diaz and Anna Rudolfova 8-6 in the quarterfinals.
    
Also starting at 9 a.m. will be the doubles finals. The main-draw singles finals will follow.
    
The men's singles consolation final will be played in Hattiesburg, Miss., because William Carey teammates Andreas Brune and Leonard Sechi are the participants. Sechi defeated Xavier's Adam Albrecht 9-8 (7-5) in the first round.

Tournament home page

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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