ROME, Ga. — Xavier University of Louisiana's Santiago Perez advanced Friday to the men's NAIA singles semifinals of the ITA Cup tennis championships with a 6-1, 6-2 victory against San Diego Christian's Nick Nienhaus.
     Perez, the No. 3 seed, will play top-seeded Jose Dugo of Georgia Gwinnett in the semifinals Saturday. Dugo defeated Maximiliano Rozas of Grace in the quarterfinals.
     Perez dominated despite Nienhaus's 10-inch height advantage. Perez is 5-feet-11; Nienhaus, a freshman, is 6-9 and one of the tallest opponents ever during Alan Green's 17 seasons as XULA head coach.
     The victory was Perez's 27th in 31 singles matches at XULA. The sophomore is 9-1 this semester.