NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's nationally ranked tennis programs have three newcomers, all with freshman eligibility, in 2024-25: Sanai LeSure of Pearland, Texas, and Asadah Ma'at of Harlem, N.Y., on the Gold Nuggets, and Manuel Arias of Manizales, Colombia, on the Gold Rush.
        All three are scheduled to compete when XULA begins the season Thursday at the HBCU National Championships at South Fulton Tennis Center in the Atlanta suburb of College Park, Ga.
        LeSure — a right-hander and a XULA accounting major — won 10 championships in juniors. At Pearland's Shadow Creek High School, she played No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles for four consecutive seasons. She was a three-year qualifier for regionals, and she helped the Sharks win three district championships.
        Ma'at — a right-hander and a XULA psychological sciences major — is a three-time American Tennis Association age-group national champion. This year at ATA nationals she was the women's open singles runner-up. Ma'at won 12 singles titles in juniors.
        Arias — a left-hander pursuing a XULA master's in health informatics — begins the second chapter of his tennis career after a break of approximately 10 years. During the break he received a dental degree and started a practice. But the tennis itch returned, and training with Johnny Perez — the father of former XULA players Santiago and Sebastian Perez — helped lead him to the Gold Rush. Santiago Perez was a four-year NAIA All-American at XULA, and Sebastian is in his second season as a XULA tennis assistant coach.
        In juniors Arias ranked 200th in the world in 18s. He was the singles champion of a 64-player ITF tournament in Bogota in 2014.
        XULA's women were ranked third and the men tied for fifth in the NAIA preseason coaches polls announced Aug. 21.