Tuesday, February 24, 2015

No. 7 Brenau edges No. 3 Nuggets on third-set tiebreaker


MOBILE, Alabama -- Patricia Recalde Pacua won a third-set tiebreaker Monday against Jana van der Walt to give Brenau a 5-4 victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in a matchup of top-10 NAIA women's tennis teams.

Pacua defeated van der Walt 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7-1) at the fourth singles flight. Van der Walt led 6-5 in the third set after trailing 5-4.

Brenau (5-2) is ranked seventh, and Xavier (4-5) is third. It was the Gold Nuggets' first dual-match loss this season to an NAIA opponent.

Xavier trailed 4-2 before tying the dual on Nour Abbes' 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 victory against Fatyha Berjane and Sha'Nel Bruins' 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 victory against Kelley Cohron. Brion Flowers earned the Gold Nuggets' other singles victory, 6-0, 6-3 against Nathalia Bolivar.

Abbes and Carmen Nelson beat Maria Perdomo-Medina and Pacua 8-4 at the top doubles flight. But Brenau won the other doubles matches and took a 2-1 lead into singles when Berjane and Paula Rives Palau beat Flowers and Caroline Vernet 9-7.

Abbes is 36-1 in singles in her XU career, 19-1 this season and 6-0 this semester.

A year ago, Xavier defeated Brenau 5-4 at XU in another top-10 matchup when Simone-Alyse Ewell won in three sets at No. 5 singles.

Xavier's women and men will play NCAA Division I's Alcorn State at 2 p.m. Tuesday at XU Tennis Center. Xavier's men are ranked eighth.

 Results

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director  
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
https://twitter.com/xulagold
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