Results
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana won the doubles point and three singles matches Thursday in a 4-1 victory against Westcliff that matched top-25 NAIA women's tennis teams.
The Gold Nuggets, 17-5 and ranked fourth
in the coaches poll announced Wednesday, extended their win streak to a season-high six matches. XULA is 7-0 at home this season, and the last six victories at XULA Tennis Center were against ranked opponents.
Also on a roll is XULA's
Kyra Akinnibi, who earned her 10th consecutive singles victory, 6-1, 6-1 against Shayee Sherif on court three. Akinnibi is 14-1 in singles this semester and 23rd in the ITA NAIA singles rankings announced earlier in the day.
Valentina Largacha and
Mbali Langa won in doubles and singles for XULA. Largacha and
Amira Bergaoui, trailing 5-4 on the second doubles court, clinched the point with a 7-5 victory against Loïs Tsui and Hana Moss. Largacha gave XULA a 3-0 lead when she won 6-4, 6-2 against Moss, who is ranked 72nd.
Langa and
McKenna Wheatley, ranked 14th in doubles, won 6-0 in 20 minutes on the first court against 15th-ranked Elena Gunfaus Sola and Anna Ruiz Masip. Langa, ranked 21st in singles, clinched with her 7-5, 6-4 victory on the first court against 20th-ranked Ruiz Masip.
Westcliff, in its sixth season of intercollegiate athletics and fourth as an NAIA member, is 10-8 and ranked 15th.
The Gold Nuggets will close their regular season with home matches at noon Saturday against NAIA No. 8 William Carey and 2 p.m. next Thursday against No. 13 LSU-Alexandria. Then the XULA women will travel to San Antonio, Texas, for the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament April 25-27.
