Xavier University of Louisiana men's tennis
Yamlak Tsega / XULA Athletics

Men's Tennis

XU tops No. 14 Westmont, reaches quarterfinals again

Results

     MOBILE, Ala. — Adam Albrecht and Thomas Setodji won in doubles and singles Wednesday to lead Xavier University of Louisiana to a 5-1 men's tennis victory against Westmont in the second round of the NAIA National Championship.
     The Gold Rush (15-7) — ranked third in the most recent coaches poll and seeded third in the tournament — advanced to the quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive year. Xavier will play sixth-ranked Keiser, a 5-1 winner against William Carey, at 1 p.m. Thursday.
     Westmont, ranked and seeded 14th, finished 10-9.
     Xavier won 2-of-3 doubles matches and dominated in singles, dropping only one set. When Setodji clinched with his 6-1, 6-2 victory against Luke Whalen, teammates Kyle Montrel and Tushar Mandlekar still were on court — both led 6-1, 5-0.
     Albrecht and Mandlekar won eight straight games in an 8-1 victory against Tommy Nightingale and Jordan Strandness that gave Xavier the first point of the dual. The Warriors evened when Whalen and Christian Mathis beat Montrel and Karan Salwan 8-5, but Setodji and Kevin Chaouat put the Gold Rush ahead to stay, rallying from a 4-2 deficit for an 8-5 victory against Carl-Philip Lindqvist and Travis Kimsey.
     Salwan gave the Gold Rush a 3-1 lead by winning eight consecutive games in a 6-2, 6-1 victory against Lindqvist, the ITA's 12th-ranked NAIA singles player. Albrecht rolled to a 6-0, 6-2 victory against Jordan Strandness, then Setodji produced his team-leading seventh clincher of the season and sixth in Xavier's last nine victories.
     Setodji, a freshman, is 15-0 in singles. His opponent, Whalen, was ranked 32nd.
     Xavier and Westmont were the last teams to finish on a day when the NAIA shoehorned the round-of-16 matches and Tuesday's washed-out first round. The Gold Rush and Warriors started at 9:30 p.m. and did not finish until 12:05 a.m.
     Xavier will get a rematch with Keiser. The Gold Rush won 7-2 March 23 at Keiser. The Gold Rush are 0-4 in the quarterfinals, including a 5-4 loss to Vanguard a year ago. However, this will be the first time that Xavier is the higher seed in the quarterfinals.
     The top eight seeds advanced, including two-time defending champion Georgia Gwinnett. The Xavier-Keiser winner will play the Auburn Montgomery-Lindsey Wilson winner in the semifinals at 1 p.m. Friday.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Adam Albrecht

Adam Albrecht

6' 1"
Junior
2L
Kevin Chaouat

Kevin Chaouat

6' 1"
Senior
2L
Tushar Mandlekar

Tushar Mandlekar

5' 11"
Junior
2L
Kyle Montrel

Kyle Montrel

6' 0"
Senior
3L
Karan Salwan

Karan Salwan

5' 8"
Junior
TR
Thomas Setodji

Thomas Setodji

6' 1"
Freshman
HS

Players Mentioned

Adam Albrecht

Adam Albrecht

6' 1"
Junior
2L
Kevin Chaouat

Kevin Chaouat

6' 1"
Senior
2L
Tushar Mandlekar

Tushar Mandlekar

5' 11"
Junior
2L
Kyle Montrel

Kyle Montrel

6' 0"
Senior
3L
Karan Salwan

Karan Salwan

5' 8"
Junior
TR
Thomas Setodji

Thomas Setodji

6' 1"
Freshman
HS