ATLANTA - The Gold Nuggets won early and often, and in one case won repeatedly, on the first day of the 25th Annual HBCU National Championships Tournament at the South Fulton Tennis Center. 

This massive tournament, which is structured around various single-elimination brackets, attracts the best student-athletes from around the Historically Black Colleges and Universities ranks. 

Xavier, while a prominent NAIA team, was among the smaller programs at the event, which made what came next all the more special. 

The star of the day for XULA was sophomore Maja Brnic, a returning All-American in singles and doubles and 2026 NAIA and Red River Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, who played in the Flight A singles and doubles brackets. 

Flight A brackets are meant to match student-athletes who more commonly play on the No. 1 or 2 court. 

Brnic played four times Thursday, earning a win 3-of-4 times and securing Xavier representation in the singles quarterfinals. 

In singles play, in her fourth appearance of the day, Brnic defeated 5-seeded Yana Klimchuk 7-6(6), 6-3. The win set Brnic up for a quarterfinal showdown with 4-seeded Toffee Ghorab of Hampton at 11:30 a.m. CST Friday. 

Earlier in the day, Brnic defeated Katharine Grados of Grambling State 6-3, 6-3 to reach the Round of 16.

Brnic also partnered with Asadah Ma'at to advance to the Round of 16 by defeating Alabama A&M's Sofia Sotelo Raya and Gabrielle Henderson 7-5, but were then defeated 6-3 by Norfolk State's Julia Daroszewska and Yuliya Yurkova. The duo fell to Norfolk State's Julia Daroszewska and Yuliya Yurkova 6-3 in the Round of 16. 

The Gold Nuggets found as much success in the Flights B and C singles brackets. 

Anais Yakan defeated Ratidzo Mabukwa of Grambling State 6-0, 6-0 to reach the Flight B Round of 16, where she will face Norfolk State's Sabina Iurea at 9:30 a.m. CST Friday. 

Ma'at has the same start time for her Round of 16 match against Melissa Nanjala Mwakha of Alabama A&M, following a 6-3, 6-2 win over Kayla Kennedy of Norfolk State

Xavier went 3-for-3 in the Flight C bracket Round of 32. 

Makai Sales defeated Bethune-Cookman's Madison Molock 7-6(4), 6-0, while Senai Lesure defeated Natalija Nikolic of Alcorn State 6-4, 2-6, 10-1, and Mia Edwards defeated Taylor O'Neal of Bethune-Cookman 6-3, 1-6, 10-8.

Sales will face 8-seeded Tiara Belen Alvarez of Jackson State at 10 a.m. CST Friday. 

Lesure will face 6-seeded Johari Gorham of Florida A&M, and Edwards will face 7-seeded Naomi Blanks of Alabama A&M, both at 10:30 a.m. CST Friday. 

In other action, Laura Lopez lost to Chloe Goins of Howard 6-3, 6-1 in Flight B singles action, while Lesure and Anais Yakan fell 6-3 in the Flight A doubles Round of 16 to Norfolk State's Regina Urbiola Armenta and Yana Klimchuk.

Sales and Lopez lost 6-4 to Howard's Imani Jean and Leah Thomas in the Flight B doubles play.

Detailed results from all HBCU National Tennis Championships are available on the ITA website.