ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — Loic Didavi's three-set singles victory gave Xavier
University of Louisiana a 5-4 men's tennis decision against Northwood (Fla.) on
Wednesday.
The Gold Nuggets defeated Northwood 6-3.
All four
teams are ranked in the NAIA. Xavier's men and women are eighth, Northwood's
women are 14th, and Northwood's men are 15th.
The XU men (10-5) rallied
from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits to increase their win streak to four duals, a season
best. They've won seven of their last eight duals. The Nuggets (10-7) have won
six of their last eight and are 6-0 this season against ranked NAIA
opponents.
Didavi dropped a first-set tiebreaker 7-0 to Alvaro Iturriaga
but won the next two sets 6-2, 6-3.
Didavi has eight consecutive singles
victories and is 5-0 this semester in split-set matches.
"What can I say
about how our guys competed today?" XU coach Alan Green said. "Northwood is very
good and could have easily won this match. Today Loic was the guy who gutted out
a victory for us when it was on the line."
Also with an eight-match win
streak are Nikita Soifer and Viktor Svoboda, who gave Xavier its only doubles
point with an 8-6 victory against David Cathalina and Nikita Borodatov. Soifer
beat Guilherme Azambuja 6-0, 6-2 in singles, and Svoboda improved his win streak
to seven with a 6-3, 6-1 decision against Borodatov. Scoring the other Gold Rush
point was Kyle Montrel, a 6-1, 6-2 winner against Cathalina.
The Gold
Rush have five victories this season against teams in the current NAIA top
25.
In the women's dual, the Gold Nuggets won for the first time in two
years despite singles losses by Kourtney Howell and Amanda Materre. Picking up
the slack included freshman Brion Flowers and sophomore transfer Olivia West,
both winners in doubles and singles.
In doubles, Flowers and Howell
defeated Rose Bellevue and Adelaide Wood 8-1, and West and Materre defeated
Julia Ferraz and Melanie Snowberger 8-4. Flowers beat Bellevue 6-0, 6-0 in
singles, and West clinched the dual with her 0-6, 6-2, 6-0 decision against
Snowberger. Also rallying from a first-set deficit was Amber Brown, who defeated
Ferraz 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.
The Nuggets' other singles winner was Simone-Alyse
Ewell, who beat Livia Toth 6-3, 6-3.
"Our women got some good production
from our depth, which was much needed because our top of the lineup has been
carrying us for the most part," Green said.
Justyna Wojcik, No. 7 in the
ITA's NAIA singles rankings, defeated Kourtney Howell, who is eighth, 7-5,
7-5.
Northwood's men are 9-4, and the women are 7-5.
Both XU
teams will conclude their Florida trip with duals at Embry-Riddle in Daytona
Beach. Embry-Riddle's men are ranked second in the NAIA, and the women are
seventh.
Results: Men Women
By Ed Cassiere, SID
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
The "unofficial" meeting place for intelligent discussions of Divisions I and II Sports of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC). America's #1 blog source for minority sports articles and videos. The MEAC, SWAC, CIAA, SIAC and HBCUAC colleges are building America's leaders, scholars and athletes.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Gold Nuggets drop 5 places, rank 17th in postseason poll
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana dropped five spots to finish 17th
Wednesday in the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Postseason
Poll.
It's the lowest rank of the season for the Gold Nuggets (24-6), who closed the regular season with 12 consecutive victories before losing to Fisk in the quarterfinals of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament and to Faulkner in the opening round of the NAIA Division I National Championship.
Xavier was 11th in the preseason poll and spent six weeks in the top 10, including highs of ninth place on Dec. 11 and Jan. 8. The Nuggets were 10th on Feb. 26.
This is the fourth consecutive year and the 10th time in Bo Browder's 14 seasons as head coach that the Gold Nuggets are in the final top 25 of the season. This is the second consecutive year that the final poll was conducted after the national tournament. Xavier was 16th in the 2012 postseason poll.
Xavier will enter the 2013-14 season trying to extend a streak of 44 consecutive top-25 appearances. That streak began on Jan. 25, 2010.
It's the lowest rank of the season for the Gold Nuggets (24-6), who closed the regular season with 12 consecutive victories before losing to Fisk in the quarterfinals of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament and to Faulkner in the opening round of the NAIA Division I National Championship.
Xavier was 11th in the preseason poll and spent six weeks in the top 10, including highs of ninth place on Dec. 11 and Jan. 8. The Nuggets were 10th on Feb. 26.
This is the fourth consecutive year and the 10th time in Bo Browder's 14 seasons as head coach that the Gold Nuggets are in the final top 25 of the season. This is the second consecutive year that the final poll was conducted after the national tournament. Xavier was 16th in the 2012 postseason poll.
Xavier will enter the 2013-14 season trying to extend a streak of 44 consecutive top-25 appearances. That streak began on Jan. 25, 2010.
By Ed Cassiere, SID XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA XULAATHLETICS |
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Former Randolph-Clay Red Devils star Ellington closes college career on top at Texas Southern
Dexter Ellington #2 vs. Kansas State |
Dexter Ellington went through this year.
Ellington, a former (Albany) Herald Super 6er, had a long journey from Randolph-Clay (High School, Cuthbert, Georgia), where he was a star for the Red Devils, then he landed at Texas Southern, where he was hoping to have a huge senior season.
A combination of some bad luck and a bad ankle made this an almost unbearable season for Ellington, a starting point guard who saw his frustration hit a high point last week when the NCAA Tournament began without him.
I’m sitting here watching Gonzaga play Southern (University) and I still can’t believe it,’’ Ellington said last Thursday as March Madness began. “We beat Southern (in our conference). We could have been there. We could be playing right now.’’
Texas Southern never had a chance. The Tigers were on probation because of violations committed by their former coach and were ineligible for postseason play. And to make things worse, Texas Southern not only won the SWAC regular season title by going 16-2 in the conference, but they ended the season as one of the hottest teams any where.
McClelland has TSU Athletics Department Back on Track
The TSU Football program has added Howard (2014) and Bethune-Cookman (2015) to its schedule
HOUSTON, Texas -- As the old saying goes, anything good doesn’t come easy, and the task of turning around the Texas Southern University Athletics Department, wasn’t for Dr. Charles McClelland.
Dr. Charles McClelland ATHLETICS DIRECTOR TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY |
Approaching his fifth year anniversary as the head man in charge, Dr. McClelland along with his coaches, support staff, and the blessing of TSU President Dr. John Rudley, has the Tigers athletics program back on track and in much better shape than what he inherited.
Dr. Charles McClelland was named Texas Southern University’s Director of Athletics in April of 2008. In his position as athletics director, McClelland supervises 16 sports- nine women’s and seven men’s. His daily duties include managing budgets, scheduling, fundraising, marketing and keeping abreast of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules and regulations.
For McClelland, success in athletics is not just about winning championships, but it’s about graduating student-athletes.
“TSU athletic program is on a strong solid foundation,” McClelland said during a recent interview. “We’ve put a lot of time and energy in putting together a strategic plan across the board.”
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Morgan State football coach Donald Hill-Eley working to rebuild his program after firing that wasn't
DONALD HILL-ELEY HEAD FOOTBALL COACH MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY |
BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Donald Hill-Eley has always told his Morgan State football players that life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond.
Now, after enduring as strange a few months as any college coach could fathom, Hill-Eley is striving to live by his own lesson.
In late November, following the Bears' third straight losing season, Hill-Eley accidentally received an e-mail outlining the university's plan to seek his replacement. For almost six weeks after that, as rival coaches ramped up recruiting for 2013, he heard nothing official about his status. Day after day, he reported to work but was not allowed to have contact with his team.
During the same time, the chairman of the university's Board of Regents attempted to oust Morgan president David Wilson, the man seemingly behind Hill-Eley's own uncertain situation. That coups was ultimately unsuccessful. In early January, Hill-Eley finally heard from Kevin Banks, the university's vice president for student affairs: Morgan would honor the final year of his contract and he would remain coach.
SCSU Bulldogs using spring practice to build offensive backfield
ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- The arrival of spring may not have marked a new beginning yet from a weather standpoint.
There is, however, a “rebirth” of sorts taking place currently with the South Carolina State football team. It’s occurring in the backfield where a staple of the Bulldogs’ offense – the running game- has performance less than stellar in recent seasons.
“We’re making a reemphasis toward running the football,” Running backs coach Danny Lewis said. “Not the say we ever got away from it from a mentality standpoint, but let’s just say we’re dedicated to making a recommitment towards running the football.”
Since the graduation of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s all-time rusher Will Ford in 2009, no Bulldog player has rushed for over 1,000 yards. With the offensive line’s struggles in run blocking and losing leading rusher Jalen “Scoot” Simmons with a shoulder injury late last season, S.C. State finished with its lowest conference ranking in rushing offense (133.5 yards per game) under head coach Buddy Pough.
Rush, Nuggets grill Webber in opener of Florida trip
BABSON PARK, Florida -- Xavier University of Louisiana's tennis teams, both ranked eighth in the NAIA, won 15-of-17 matches played Tuesday and defeated Webber International's men and women in the opener of a spring-break trip.
The Gold Rush won 6-3, and the Gold Nuggets won 8-1.
Loic Didavi, Nikita Soifer, Kyle Montrel and Viktor Svoboda won in doubles and singles for the Rush (9-5), as did Kourtney Howell and Amanda Materre for the Nuggets (9-7). The XU men have won three straight and 6-of-7.
"Both our teams played well," XU coach Alan Green said. "The conditions were very tough out there because it was very windy. But we adjusted well and took care of our business on the court."
Didavi and Montrel defeated Valentin Bayh and Jonathan Cohen 8-3, their 11th victory in 13 doubles matches this semester. Soifer and Svoboda improved their win streak to seven with an 8-0 decision against Alwin Leysner and Nickolay Kodinov.
In singles, Didavi defeated Bayh 6-1, 6-2 for his seventh consecutive victory. Soifer defeated Kodinov 6-1, 6-3, Montrel beat Cohen 6-2, 6-2, and Svoboda clinched the dual with a 6-2, 6-0 decision against Leysner.
The Gold Nuggets won all three doubles matches for the sixth time this season and snapped three-match losing streaks at the No. 2 and 3 flights. Howell and Brion Flowers defeated Julija Stojkovska and Laura Nowak 8-3, Amber Brown and Simone-Alyse Ewell beat Nathalia Chaddad and Chandler Reed 8-5, and Materre and Olivia West defeated Holly Parnelll and Ashley Palmer 8-2.
Materre was first off the court in singles after beating Chaddad 6-0, 6-2. Howell then clinched the dual with a 6-2, 6-4 decision against Stojkovska at No. 1. Both Howell and Materre are 11-4 in singles this semester, and Howell has won six of her last seven matches.
West beat Parnell 6-2, 6-1, Jordyn Goody defeated Reed 6-0, 6-0, and Nicole DeLoach beat Palmer 6-2, 6-0.
Webber International's men are 9-6 -- the Warriors were 28th in the most recent NAIA poll -- and the women are 3-13. The Gold Rush snapped the Warriors' three-dual win streak and gave them their second loss in the last nine duals. The Lady Warriors have lost four straight.
Both XU teams will play Northwood (Fla.) at noon EDT at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla., a suburb north of Orlando. Northwood's men are ranked 15th in the NAIA, and the women are 14th.
By Ed Cassiere, SID
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