Nuggets, Rush combine for 21-4 first-day record at ITA regional

Scores

        NEW ORLEANS — In one of its best days ever in a fall tournament, Xavier University of Louisiana won 21-of-25 matches Friday during the opening day of the NAIA Gulf Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regional Championships at XULA and City Park.
        Kyra Akinnibi, seeded first in women's singles and, with Aisha Niyonkuru, in doubles, won once in each bracket to reach the singles round of 16 and the doubles quarterfinals. Akinnibi is 5-0 in singles and 4-0 in doubles this season. XULA will have a team in each of the women's doubles quarterfinals, including sophomores Valentina Largacha and Ariana Stephens, who won twice.
        Also remaining unbeaten during the fall was Niyonkuru, a freshman who also is 5-0 in singles and 4-0 in doubles.
        Going 3-0 Friday for the Gold Nuggets was freshman Juliette Finch, who won twice in singles and, with Tianna Dixon, once in doubles. Finch and LSU-Alexandria's Maria Alvarez and Candela Bonivardi were the only women's singles players in the round of 64 to reach the round of 16.
        For the Gold Rush, freshman Jacobi Bain won twice apiece in singles and doubles. He and Juan Ramirez, seeded third, won 8-4 against Fernando Martinez and Felipe De la Carrera of Texas A&M-Texarkana to reach the semifinals. Bain is 5-0 this season in singles and 5-0 in doubles. He upset seventh-seeded Francisco Arce Vieyra of city rival Loyola 6-4, 0-6, 1-0 (10-8) to reach the singles quarterfinals.
        Play will resume at 9 a.m. Saturday with the men's doubles semifinals and women's doubles quarterfinals at XULA (3619 Pine St., New Orleans LA 70125). Following those will be the women's doubles semifinals and four men's singles round-of-16 matches at 10:30 a.m. Additional matches will start at 1 p.m. at City Park. The three-day tournament will conclude Sunday.

Xavier