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| Results: Men Women Facebook photos: Men Women Photos by Yamlak Tsega |
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana -- Xavier University of Louisiana won men's and women's tennis dual matches Saturday against Belhaven, and the XU men earned their first victory of the season against a ranked opponent.
The Gold Rush, No. 8 in the NAIA, rolled to an 8-1 decision over the 10th-ranked Blazers. The Gold Nuggets, ranked third, won 5-0.
Kyle Montrel, Nikita Soifer, Tushar Mandlekar and Manav Chakma won in doubles and singles for the Gold Rush (2-1). Sha'Nel Bruins and Jana van der Walt did the same for the Nuggets (2-2).
Montrel and Soifer scored first with an 8-2 victory against Omar Lopez and Rene Ramos at the top doubles flight. Montrel beat Jefferson Nino -- the NAIA's 19th-ranked singles player in the South -- 6-1, 6-0 at No. 1 to clinch the dual.
Soifer beat Daniel Duarte 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2.
Mandlekar and Chakma beat Nino and Daniel Prado 8-6 at No. 2 doubles. Mandlekar defeated Lopez 6-1, 6-1 at No. 4 singles, and Chakma beat Ramos 6-2, 7-5 at No. 3.
Kevin Chaouat and Adam Albrecht beat Duarte and Alexander Puyol 8-3 at No. 3 doubles. Jordan Harrell rallied in singles to defeat Prado 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 at No. 3.
It was the first-time in five years that the Gold Rush won comfortably against Belhaven. Xavier and Belhaven split a pair of 5-4 duals last season, with the Gold Rush winning in the second round of the NAIA National Championship. Xavier beat seven ranked opponents last season.
Xavier's women did not drop a set at home for the second time in as many duals this year. Bruins and Brion Flowers beat Mary Lichlyter and Rachel Jefcoat 8-5 at No. 2 doubles, and Bruins clinched the dual with a 6-0, 6-2 victory against Brittany Keeling at No. 4 singles.
Van der Walt and Brandi Nelson scored the Nuggets' first point with an 8-1 decision against Ashley McLendon and SaraCaroline Kimball at No. 3 doubles. Van der Walt gave Xavier a 4-0 lead with a 6-1, 6-0 victory against Kimball at No. 5 singles.
Freshman Caroline Vernet made her collegiate debut at No. 1 doubles with All-America Nour Abbes, and they won 8-3 against AnneMarie Kimball and Stephanie Smith.
The women's dual ended when Bruins won. Abbes, Vernet and Flowers did not play their singles matches, and Dasia Harris was leading McClendon 6-2, 4-0 at No. 6 at the time of the clinch.
It was the third consecutive meeting that the Gold Nuggets did not lose a match to Belhaven.
Belhaven's women are 1-1, and its men are 0-1.
Xavier's women will play LSU-Alexandria at 1 p.m. Sunday at XU -- start time was pushed back one hour -- and the next Gold Rush dual will start at 11 a.m. Saturday against NAIA No. 22 William Carey.
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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