UNO beats XU twice but needs late rally against Nuggets
April 17, 2010

Results:  Men    Women

     NEW ORLEANS — The Xavier University of Louisiana women's tennis team faltered late in a bid for its first victory against a crosstown rival, the University of New Orleans. The Privateers won the final two completed singles matches, including a three-setter, and won 4-3 Saturday.
     The UNO men defeated Xavier 7-0 in the Gold Rush's final regular-season match.
     The Gold Nuggets (12-13), ranked 19th in the NAIA, led 3-2 after Anastesia Opata rallied to defeat Cassandra Escobar 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1 singles. But Sofija Karalic answered for the Privateers (6-12) with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Melissa DeLoach at No. 5, then Ceara Howey clinched the dual with her 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 decision over Colleen McArthur.
     Opata won in singles against UNO for the second straight year and won for the third time this season after dropping the first set.
     The lone bright spot for the XU men (10-13), ranked 16th in the NAIA, was Hassan Abbas and Mario Myles' 8-2 victory Benjamin Bouhana and Rohit Chivukula at No. 2 doubles. But the Privateers (5-14) won the doubles point, then dominated the singles. The closest singles match was Bouhana's 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 victory over Steffen Giles-Osborn at No. 1.
     UNO leads 7-0 in its series with the Gold Nuggets and 6-0 against the Gold Rush.
     Xavier's men will play next in the semifinals of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament on April 30 as the No. 1 seed. Tournament site will be the University of New Orleans Tennis Center, the same venue as Saturday's duals. Xavier's women will close their regular-season with a 10 a.m. Sunday match at UNO against GCAC opponent LSU-Shreveport.