TROY, Ala. — Xavier University of Louisiana lost 6-3 in men's tennis Saturday to Columbus State, but XU junior Kyle Montrel recorded doubles and singles victories against ranked opponents.
    Montrel and Nikita Soifer defeated Marco Almorin and Adi Malicbegovic, NCAA Division II's 11th-ranked doubles team, 8-2. In singles, Montrel beat 16th-ranked Oussama Zoghlami 6-1, 6-1 and snapped Zoghlami's eight-match win streak.
    Montrel is 13-1 in doubles this season, 9-1 with Soifer.
    Xavier's other victory came from Tushar Mandlekar, who defeated Martynas Zakaitis 6-3, 6-2. But the Cougars (10-1), ranked sixth as a team, dropped only one set in the other six matches to defeat the Gold Rush (9-5), No. 6 in the NAIA.
    Malicbegovic improved to 11-0 this semester with a 6-2, 6-2 singles victory against Soifer. The Cougars' Maciej Kierkus also is 11-0 after his 6-1, 3-0 victory against Kevin Chaouat, who retired because of injury.
    XU had near misses at No. 2 doubles, where Mandlekar and Manav Chakma lost 8-6 to Zakaitis and Kierkus, and at No. 5 singles, where Chakma lost 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7-1) to Jorge Vargas.
    "It was a very good match for us to have to prepare for next week and nationals," XU coach Alan Green said. "Columbus State has a really good team, and we were right there with them. A couple breaks the other way and the outcome would have been the exact opposite."
    The XU men have lost four of their last five duals. All their losses this season are to NCAA Division I or ranked opponents.
    Next for the Gold Rush will be a trip to California for duals against Westmont, Northwestern Ohio, Vanguard and Lewis-Clark State. All but Lewis-Clark State, which is 19th, are NAIA top-10 teams. The XU women will play the same schools in California, but next for the Gold Nuggets will be a 3:30 p.m. Tuesday dual against NCAA DI's Southern Miss at XU Tennis Center.

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Men's Tennis Results
Columbus State 6, Xavier 3

Saturday, March 21, 2015
Lunsford Tennis Complex, Troy, Ala.
Xavier victories highlighted

Doubles
No. 1 — Kyle Montrel-Nikita Soifer (XU) d. Marco Almorin-Adi Malicbegovic (CSU) 8-2.
No. 2 — Martynas Zakaitis-Maciej Kierkus (CSU) d. Tushar Mandlekar-Manav Chakma (XU) 8-6.
No. 3 — Oussama Zoghlami-Jorge Vargas (CSU) d. Kevin Chaouat-Adam Albrecht (XU) 8-2.

Singles
No. 1 — Kyle Montrel (XU) d. Oussama Zoghlami (CSU) 6-1, 6-1.
No. 2 — Adi Malicbegovic (CSU) d. Nikita Soifer (XU) 6-2, 6-3.
No. 3 — Tushar Mandlekar (XU) d. Martynas Zakaitis (CSU) 6-3, 6-2.
No. 4 — Marco Almorin (CSU) d. Adam Albrecht (XU) 6-1, 6-2.
No. 5 — Jorge Vargas (CSU) d. Manav Chakma (XU) 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7-1).
No. 6 — Maciej Kierkus (CSU) d. Kevin Chaouat (XU) 6-1, 3-0, retired, injury.

Order of Finish: Doubles — 1, 3, 2. Singles — 6, 1, 4, 2, 3, 5. 
Records: Xavier 9-5, Columbus State 10-1.

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