Fresno Pacific defeats Xavier in a pair of 8-1 duals
Ed Cassiere 03/30/10

AZUSA, Calif. -- Xavier University of Louisiana, ranked 15th in NAIA men's tennis, lost 8-1 Tuesday to top-ranked and defending national champion Fresno Pacific. Xavier's 19th-ranked women lost to second-ranked Fresno Pacific by the same score.Hassan Abbas and Sean Richardson scored the only point for the Gold Rush (9-9) when they defeated Aaron Frantz and Jose Hilla 8-5 at No. 2 doubles.

Xavier's Steffen Giles-Osborn, playing No. 1 singles, and No. 4 Mikhail Vaval lost in three-set matches.Melissa DeLoach defeated Heidi Jackson 6-0, 6-1 at No. 5 singles for the lone point of the Gold Nuggets (11-9). Freshman Sara Selma, ranked 20th in NAIA singles, improved to 18-0 with a 7-6 (8-5), 6-1 victory over Angelina Callis at No. 2.
Callis defeated ranked singles and doubles opponents from Azusa Pacific on Monday.Top-ranked Katia Sabate defeated Xavier's 18th-ranked Anastesia Opata 6-2, 6-1.Fresno Pacific's women are 18-1, and the men are 13-1. Both teams are 7-0 against ranked opponents.

Xavier will play at Vanguard -- ranked sixth in the NAIA men's poll and 10th in the women's -- at 1 p.m. PDT Wednesday. Xavier will conclude its California trip at Concordia on Thursday.