Gold Rush, Gold Nuggets combine for 3-0 record in Texas
February 11, 2011

Results:  Men vs. OLLU    Men vs. Bethany    Women

     PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas — Xavier University of Louisiana's men's tennis team extended its February win streak, and the XU women reached .500 Friday as the teams combined to go unbeaten in three dual matches.
     The Gold Rush, ranked 14th in the NAIA, defeated Our Lady of the Lake 8-1 and Bethany (Kan.) 7-2 to improve to 10-0 in February during the last two seasons. The XU men have won 19 of their last 20 February duals dating to 2008.
     The Gold Nuggets, ranked 22nd, beat Our Lady of the Lake 5-2.
     Zach Taylor, Hassan Abbas and Amir Rahbar extended their singles win streaks to four matches for the Gold Rush (4-1). Amber Brown and Melissa DeLoach extended their singles win streaks to three for the Gold Nuggets (2-2).
     The XU men clinched both duals at No. 2 singles. Steffen Giles-Osborn did it against OLLU by defeating Pedro Arteaga 6-2, 7-5. But Hassan Abbas did the honors against Bethany, beating Mats Flodin 6-0, 7-6 (7-5).
     Taylor replaced Giles-Osborn at No. 1 singles for both duals and produced a 6-4, 6-1 victory over OLLU's Luis Rovira and a 6-0, 6-2 decision against Bethany's Shane Huggins.
     Bethany (0-1) played in the last six NAIA National Championships and nearly cracked this year's preseason top 25.
     Freshman Nicole DeLoach, Melissa's younger sister, clinched the Gold Nuggets' dual when she defeated Leslie Cooper (OLLU) 6-3, 6-1 at No. 4 singles.
     Both OLLU teams are 0-3.
     Both Xavier teams will play NCAA Division I Prairie View A&M at 10 a.m. Saturday. XU will travel home after that match, then hit the road again Sunday for 1 p.m. duals against another D-I opponent, Nicholls State.