NEW ORLEANS — NAIA men's power Xavier University of Louisiana extended its win streak against Nicholls, beating the NCAA Division I opponent 5-0 Wednesday at XULA Tennis Center.
     It was the fourth consecutive year that the Gold Rush (3-1), ranked third nationally, defeated the Colonels (2-7). The dual match was scored using NAIA rules.
     Gabriel Niculescu and Shaikh Abdullah won in doubles and singles for XULA. Niculescu and Samir Chikhaoui gave the Gold Rush a 3-0 lead with an 8-5 victory against Moritz Borges and Nestor Giribet Lopez at No. 3 doubles, then Niculescu made it 4-0 when he beat Eduardo Marino 6-3, 6-0 on the fourth singles court.
     Abdullah clinched on the third singles court with a 6-2, 6-2 victory against Giribet Lopez. Abdullah and Santiago Perez scored the first point of the dual with an 8-2 victory at No. 1 doubles against Oleksandr Podgursky and Tobias Lentz.
     The No. 2 doubles team of Chris Anders and Pierre Andrieu scored the other point in an 8-3 victory against Marino and Alvaro Barranco.
     XULA led in three of the four unfinished singles matches. The dual lasted slightly less than three hours and was contested under sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 70s.
     XULA has won three consecutive duals and allowed only one point since an opening loss to South Alabama. Nicholls is 0-5 on the road.
     XULA's men and women will travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., to play William Carey at 1 p.m. Friday on Carey's campus. Starting time was pushed up one hour. XULA's women are ranked third in the NAIA, William Carey's women are ninth, and its men are 11th.