Results: Men • Women
PENSACOLA, Fla. — In the regular-season finale for both, Xavier University of Louisiana's men's and women's tennis teams lost dual matches Sunday to NCAA Division II-ranked West Florida. Both scores were 9-0.
The Gold Nuggets'
Nour Abbes and the Gold Rush's
Kyle Montrel both won the second sets of their singles matches at the top flight, then lost third-set super-tiebreakers.
Abbes, a sophomore and the NAIA's top-ranked singles player, lost for just the third time in 48 XU singles decisions. The Argonauts' Laure-Eline Faure defeated Abbes 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 1-0 (10-5).
Montrel lost 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (12-10) to Alex Peyrot.
Montrel and
Vincenzo Ciccone also lost a doubles tiebreaker, 9-8 (7-2) to Pablo Borrero and Pablo Tellez at No. 3. Montrel and Ciccone led 8-7 in games and were tied at 2 in the tiebreaker.
Xavier didn't win any other sets. At women's No. 3 doubles,
Brion Flowers and
Brandi Nelson lost 8-5 to Katarina Dikosavljevic and Giovana Patitucci after leading 5-4.
The duals were the first for the Gold Nuggets (15-9) and Gold Rush (12-7) since March 31. The XU women are ranked seventh in the NAIA, and the men are No. 6.
West Florida's women (25-3) are No. 8 in NCAA Division II, and the men (24-3) are No. 2.
The Nuggets and Rush will learn if they qualify for the NAIA National Championship with at-large bids after a coaches poll is announced next Sunday. Another coaches poll will be announced Tuesday.