Callis leads Nuggets past another ranked opponent
April 11, 2009

Results:  Men    Women

     ROME, Ga. — Angelina Callis won singles and doubles matches Saturday to help NAIA No. 16 Xavier University of Louisiana defeat No. 22 Union (Ky.) 5-0 in women's tennis.
     It was the fourth victory of the season for the Gold Nuggets (15-5) against a ranked NAIA opponent and their second in three days.
     Xavier's men, ranked 13th, lost 5-0 to No. 10 Union, which remained unbeaten this season.
     Callis and Anastesia Opata, 10th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's NAIA doubles rankings, gave the Gold Nuggets a 2-0 lead in their dual when they defeated Ximena Aguilar and Juliana Negosek 8-3. It was the seventh consecutive victory for Callis and Opata and their 15th in 17 matches this spring.
     Callis clinched the Nuggets' seventh victory in eight duals with her 6-0, 6-1 victory over Aguilar at No. 2 singles.
     Union (10-3), losing its second in a row after nine consecutive victories, had only five players available and was forced to default matches to Xavier at No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles. It took approximately 90 minutes for Xavier to win the dual.
     "Our women understood the situation," said Alan Green, who coaches Xavier's women and men. "They weren't going to take Union lightly. They went out and took care of business."
     Xavier's men (13-6) didn't win a set against Union (13-0) and has dropped two duals in a row for the first time this season. The Gold Rush lost 5-1 at No. 15 Shorter on Thursday.
     Union won all three doubles matches, including a pair of 8-6 decisions, and is 33-3 in completed doubles matches this season. Xavier, on the other hand, has dropped eight of its past nine men's doubles matches.
     "We've got to go back and get this doubles thing fixed," Green said. "We need a lot of practice on doubles. We'll make lineup changes, and then we've got to practice it."
     Alvaro Vargas clinched the dual with a 6-3, 7-6 (10-8) victory at No. 5 singles over Cameron Knowles.
     "Union is a very good team and well-balanced," Green said. "They're very deserving of their top-10 ranking. We played tough, but Union was a step ahead of us in every aspect."
     Xavier's next competition will be men's and women's duals at 5 p.m. Friday against Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opponent Spring Hill at the University of New Orleans Tennis Center.