NEW ORLEANS  - The XULA women's tennis team picked up its first win of the spring in convincing fashion, downing in-town rival Loyola 6-1 Tuesday afternoon. 

Standout performances were easy to find for Xavier (1-2), but the most exciting and match-deciding moments came in the singles ranks. 

The Nos. 3, 5, and 6 matches all went to a third set and, on each occasion, a Gold Nugget player bested her Wolfpack opponent. 

McKenna Wheatley overcame a first-set loss to defeat Avery Frierson 6-2, 6-0, capturing the No. 3 point. 

At No. 5, Valeria Ortega defeated Presha Shanthamoorthi 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(1); and in the No. 6 match,  Makai Sales defeated Avrora Volkova 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. 

In other singles action, Maja Brnic downed Micaela Ponce 6-3, 7-5 to take the No. 1 point, and Ana Sabikova defeated Juliette Finch 6-2, 6-2 to win at No. 2. 

The Gold Nuggets also claimed the doubles point with wins by Wheatley and Brnic at No. 1 and Sabikova and Sales at No. 2. 

Next up for Xavier will be a Saturday visit to Alabama for a 1 p.m. match against the University of Mobile.