NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Nereo Suarez was selected Red River Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week in men's tennis for March 27-April 2.
        It's the team-leading fourth weekly award for Suarez, a freshman from Santa Fe, Argentina, and the ninth straight week that the Gold Rush won. The RRAC announced it Tuesday.
        Suarez won in doubles and singles in a 4-0 home victory against NAIA No. 7 William Carey. Suarez and Jacobi Bain won 6-2 at No. 1 doubles against Thomas Drapeau and Jean Nicolas Leblanc, then Suarez clinched the dual — and XULA's first shutout of the William Carey men in 13 years — on the third singles court with his 1-6, 6-4, 7-5 decision against Noah Rockstroh.
        Suarez and Bain have won nine of their last 10 in doubles and are No. 3 in the ITA NAIA mid-March doubles rankings. The team victory was XULA's fourth this season against a top-10 NAIA opponent.
        The XULA men are 15-6 and ranked eighth in the NAIA. The Gold Rush regular-season finale will be an April 15 noon exhibition in Shreveport, La., against two-year Tyler Junior College at the LSU-Shreveport courts. XULA will play host to an NAIA unaffiliated group men's tournament April 20-22 and attempt to qualify automatically for NAIA nationals.