NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Xavier University of Louisiana's Angela Charles-Alfred and Lailaa Bashir, the best small-college women's doubles team in the fall of 2019, defeated one of the best NCAA Division I teams Thursday in the consolation round of the Oracle Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Fall Championships.
     Charles-Alfred, a junior, and Bashir, a freshman, beat UCLA's 37th-ranked Abi Altick and Taylor Johnson 6-1, 6-4 to advance to Friday's consolation quarterfinals.
     Charles-Alfred and Bashir, both left-handers, dominated the first set, then rallied from a 3-0 second-set deficit to improve their record as a team to 13-1.
     "We were more aggressive today," said Charles-Alfred, comparing the match to a straight-sets loss to Tennessee in the main draw Wednesday, "and I am happy to beat this team."
     Bashir said, "We capitalized when we had the opportunity, finished off our points much more efficiently, and we cut down on our errors. Ultimately that was the reason we won — much better energy and execution from both of us. We hope to carry that into the next match."
     For Alan Green it's the newest accomplishment in 17 stellar seasons as coach of XULA's women and men. Green ranked this victory behind Charles-Alfred and Bashir's ITA small-college national title from October and XULA's three NAIA men's team national runner-up finishes in the springs of 2016, 2017 and 2019.
     "We got off to a great start in the first set," Green said. "We had a bit of a focus lapse early in the second set, but we regained focus and were able to work our way back in the set. From there we played all the big points very well, and we were able to close it out on serve. We played well."
     Charles-Alfred and Bashir will play at 5:30 p.m. PST Friday against Georgia's seventh-seeded and 19th-ranked Elena Christofi and Vivian Wolff. The UGA team lost 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-8) Wednesday in the main draw against Northern Arizona's Mimi Bland and Adrianna Sosnowska, then won 7-5, 6-4 Thursday in consolation against Penn's 59th-ranked Marja Curnic and Iuliia Bryzgalova.