NEW ORLEANS — Junior
Samir Chikhaoui preserved
the good vibes of senior day with a three-set decision that clinched Xavier University
of Louisiana's 5-4 victory against William Carey in a Saturday matchup of
top-10 NAIA men's tennis teams.
The seventh-ranked Gold Rush (13-6) won the first four
matches, including a doubles sweep, but couldn't exhale until Chikhaoui
beat Atikan Juprang — who was hindered by third-set cramps — 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
at No. 6 singles.
"Both guys battled through humidity," XULA head coach
Alan Green
said, "and we were a little stronger."
Honored before the match were seniors
Chris Anders,
Pierre Andrieu and
Gabriel Niculescu. Anders and Niculescu scored the first point
with an 8-2 victory against Juprang and Akanit Pumjit at No. 3 doubles.
Santiago Perez and
Shaikh Abdullah then defeated Tim Fischer and Ben Griedelbach 8-1
on the first court, then Andrieu and Chikhaoui won the final five games in an
8-4 victory against Hugo Robuchon and Elvyn Nguyen.
"We played some of our best doubles today and needed that," Green said.
Perez beat Fischer 6-0, 6-3 at No. 1 singles to make it 4-0,
then sixth-ranked Carey (9-3) rallied and tied the score when Enzo Simon defeated Niculescu 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
XULA ended the five-match win streak of the
Crusaders, who won 5-4 against the Gold Rush five weeks ago.
"Carey has a great team and is deserving of their ranking,"
Green said. "It was another hard-fought match that went down to the wire with them."
The Gold Rush finished the home schedule 7-0 and has gone unbeaten
at home four of the last five seasons.
Green expects this victory to be a catalyst toward
a fifth consecutive first-round bye at the NAIA National Championship tournament
and the Gold Rush's eighth in the last nine years.
"I believe with this win we are in a great spot to
secure a bye," Green said.
The NAIA will announce April 29 the 48 teams — 24 men's
and 24 women's — that will qualify for nationals, then announce
the pairings April 30. First-round matches will begin May 14 in Mobile, Ala.
The Gold Rush have three regular-season matches remaining, with the next
next one April 18 at NAIA No. 15 Mobile.
