January 9, 2013
NEW ORLEANS — A new campus venue and plenty of matches against NAIA National Championship qualifiers and NCAA Division I opponents await the Xavier University of Louisiana tennis teams in 2013.
Alan Green, in his 10th season as coach of the Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets, announced Wedesday the spring portion of the schedules.
Both XU teams will open their dual-match seasons at 2 p.m. on Jan. 25 against city rival Loyola at the XU Tennis Center, a $2.5 million facility which was dedicated Oct. 26. Both teams will play seven duals at the facility. It will be the first time since the 1959-60 academic year that Xavier regularly plays host to outdoor intercollegiate competition on its campus.
The other teams to visit XU will be the men of William Carey (Feb. 8) and Jackson State (April 13), the women of McNeese State (Feb. 23) and Southern (March 1) and the men and women of Belhaven (Feb. 28), Shorter (March 4), Alcorn State (March 15) and Auburn Montgomery (April 6). Approximate address of the XU Tennis Center is 3619 Pine St., zip code 70125.
McNeese and Southern are NCAA D-I opponents. Others from that level to play Xavier will be the men of Tulane (Jan. 26), the men and women of Nicholls State (Feb. 2), Prairie View A&M (Feb. 15), Louisiana-Lafayette (Feb. 19) and New Orleans (March 20) and the women of Southeastern Louisiana (March 3).
William Carey's and Belhaven's men and Shorter's women were NAIA National Championship qualifiers in 2012. Others from that group playing Xavier will be the men of Bethany (Kan.) (Feb. 16) and Lindsey Wilson (March 13) and the men and women of Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (March 27) and Auburn Montgomery (April 6). The Gold Nuggets and Rush will travel to William Carey on April 5.
Green expects to play additional high-level NAIA opponents in the AUM Invitational at Montgomery, Ala., from March 8-10. Pairings have not been announced for that event.
The XU women will face the top two finishers — Auburn Montgomery and Embry-Riddle (Fla.) — from last year's NAIA tournament. When AUM's women visit, it will be the first time since Nov. 22, 1980, that a defending NAIA champion plays Xavier on the XU campus. Cameron was the opponent that day, and the Gold Rush won 63-59 in basketball at The Barn.
"Once again I have tried to put together the toughest schedules possible for my teams," Green said. "I think these schedules will help us prepare for nationals. If we play well and stay healthy, the schedules will pay off for us in the long run."
The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference will not crown tennis champions for the third consecutive year — only Xavier, Tougaloo and Fisk sponsor the sport — but both XU teams will compete in an NAIA unaffiliated group tournament in the Atlanta area April 19-20 for automatic bids to the NAIA National Championships.
Xavier's men will attempt earn a fifth consecutive berth at the NAIA nationals, and the women will attempt to qualify for the second consecutive year and the seventh time in nine seasons. The Gold Rush in 2012 became the first XU team in 39 years to reach the national quarterfinals in any sport.
The first NAIA team rankings of the season will be announced Jan. 29.
Photo description:
The October opening of the XU Tennis Center makes it the first time since the 1959-60 academic year that Xavier can regularly play host to outdoor intercollegiate competition on campus. The first home duals will be Jan. 25.
Contact:
Ed Cassiere
ecassiere@yahoo.com
Posted By: How May I Help You NC
Thursday, January 10th 2013 at 1:53PM
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