MOBILE, Ala. — The Xavier University of Louisiana
men's tennis team's bid for a third consecutive berth in an NAIA National Championship
final ended late Friday when the Gold Rush fell 5-0 to four-time defending champion
Georgia Gwinnett.
The Grizzlies (26-0) swept the doubles, then
won two singles matches to advance to a 1:30 p.m. Saturday final against
second-seeded Keiser, a 5-0 winner against Reinhardt in the other semifinal.
Kevin Konfederak and Gilad Berman gave the Grizzlies a 1-0
lead on the first doubles court when they defeated
Antoine Richard and
Shaikh Abdullah 8-5.
Ayed Zatar and Valentino Caratini followed with am 8-3 victory against
Samir Chikhaoui and
Pierre Andrieu on the third court, then the Grizzlies
completed the doubles sweep when Rafael Coutinho and Federico Herrera Duran
won the first three games en route to an 8-5 victory against
Catalin Fifea and
Chris Anders.
In singles, Konfederak defeated Fifea 6-3, 6-4,
then Coutinho clinched with a 6-2, 6-0 victory against Chikhaoui.
Georgia Gwinnett led in the four halted matches.
It was the second competition of the day for fourth-seeded XULA (13-12), which beat William Carey
5-3 during the morning in the quarterfinals.
The Grizzlies won their 81st consecutive dual match and improved to 19-0
in five seasons at nationals. The Grizzlies have won national titles every year since
their first season of postseason eligibility in 2014.
XULA lost 5-2 to Georgia Gwinnett in the 2016 final
and 5-0 to the Grizzlies in the 2017 final. The Gold Rush are 0-8 all-time against
Georgia Gwinnett and have yet to win a singles match.
NOTES: It was the first time in three months
that the Gold Rush were shut out in a dual match . . .
The tournament endured weather delays for the third consecutive day;
the XULA men's semifinal start time was pushed back to 9 p.m. . . .
It was the final college competition for Fifea, the only senior on the Gold Rush
and the ITA/NAIA Region IV Most Improved Senior this season . . . The Gold
Rush finished above .500 for the eighth consecutive season . . . XULA
has not won an NAIA national team title in any sport.
