Xavier tennis teams extend streaks with wins over Dillard

MEN’S TENNIS

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana men’s tennis extended its home win streak to 27 Thursday with a 5-2 victory against city rival Dillard.

The Gold Rush — 11-4 overall, 2-0 home, ranked eighth in the NAIA — haven’t lost at XULA Tennis Center since a 5-4 decision against William Carey on April 12, 2018.

Jacobi Bain, Nereo Suarez and Dedric Ray won in doubles and singles for XULA. Bain and Suarez celebrated their double-digit climb Wednesday to No. 3 in the ITA NAIA doubles rankings with a 6-1 victory against Pablo Martin and Jesus Rodriguez. Ray and Guillermo Coiras clinched the doubles point with their 6-1 victory against Daniel Mankowski and Daniel Sich.

Suarez clinched in singles with his 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 victory against Albert Segura on court two. Bain beat Martin 6-0, 6-2 on court one, Julius Hell and won 6-0, 6-1 against Rodriguez on court three, and Ray won 6-2, 6-4 against Sich on court six.

The Gold Rush will visit NCAA Division I Jackson State at 2 p.m. Sunday.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

NEW ORLEANS — Resilient Xavier University of Louisiana women’s tennis, ranked fifth in the NAIA, improved its win streak to nine Thursday with a 5-2 home victory against city rival Dillard.

The Gold Nuggets (14-3) have won 14 of their last 15. They’ll return to XULA Tennis Center Saturday for an 8:30 a.m. Saturday match with LSU-Shreveport — that competition was pushed back a day because of expected rain — then travel to NCAA Division I Jackson State for a 2 p.m. Sunday match.

XULA continues to thrive without two of its best singles players, Kareemah Muhammad and Juliette Finch, both of whom are injured but are expected back on the court soon.

Mbali Langa and Valentina Largacha clinched the doubles point on court one, rallying from a 5-4 deficit for a 7-6 (7-4) victory against Anja Hrblijan and Kaavya Palani. Yi Chen Pao clinched at No. 6 singles with her 6-1, 6-1 victory against Valentina Gomez. It was Pao’s second singles victory this semester and her first in nearly six weeks.

Langa won 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 on court one against Palani, Largacha won 6-1, 6-2 against Daria Schoma on court five — Largacha has won seven straight and 13 of her last 14 in singles — and McKenna Wheatley won 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 against Truc Tran on court four.

Wheatley and Tianna Dixon moved to 13-0 this semester in doubles after their 6-0 victory against Gomez and Schoma on court three.