Results
Photos
Twitter video: Lailaa
Bashir
on a skateboard
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University
of Louisiana closed the regular season and tuned up for NAIA nationals
with a 4-1 women's tennis victory Tuesday against LSU-Alexandria.
XULA (19-5), ranked third nationally, won its fifth straight
and for the 13th time in its last 14 dual matches. XULA snapped the eight-match
win streak of the Generals (8-2), who are are ranked eighth.
Kyra Akinnibi clinched at No. 1 singles
with her 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 victory against Darija Mladenovic.
Farah Baklouti,
Angela Charles-Alfred
and
Angelica De Vincenzis were honored in a senior-day ceremony before the match.
Charles-Alfred and
Lailaa Bashir won in doubles and singles.
De Vincenzis and
Valentina Largacha defeated Niamh Packer and Alicia Romero Gomez 6-3
to clinch the doubles point.
Both teams will compete at 9 a.m. May 19
in the round of 16 at nationals in Mobile, Ala. XULA will play No. 14 Lindsey Wilson
or No. 23 Saint Katherine; those teams will meet in the opening round Tuesday.
Notable:
• XULA has won five straight
— four against NAIA top-10 opponents — and 13 of its last 14 dual matches.
• XULA was unbeaten at XULA Tennis Center
for the second consecutive year after never going unbeaten in the facility's first seven seasons
(2013-19). XULA has won 13 straight and 23 of its last 24 at home. At home XULA was 6-0 in 2021 and 4-0 in 2020.
• Charles-Alfred finished her
career 21-1 in singles and 20-1 in doubles in dual matches at XULA Tennis Center.
• Both LSUA losses this season were to XULA.
