Saturday, 09/12/2009

Xavier adds two men, two women to tennis programsSeptember 10, 2009     NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana announced Thursday the signing of two men and two women to tennis scholarships for the 2009-10 academic year.      Hassan Abbas of Saltaire, England, and Zach Taylor of Monroe, La., signed with the Gold Rush. Joining the Gold Nuggets are Carmen Nelson of Jonesboro, Ga., and Sandy Steffl of Munich, Germany.      Abbas and Taylor, who will be juniors on the Gold Rush roster, were ITA/California Community College Athletic Association All-Americans for Ventura College this past season. Taylor was the CCCAA singles runner-up in 2009, and Abbas was the singles runner-up and doubles champion (with James Preston) in 2008. Ventura in 2008 had an unbeaten season and won its first CCCAA team championship.      Taylor was a three-time Louisiana High School Athletic Association singles champion, winning the Division IV title for Ouachita Christian in 2004 and the Division V title for St. Frederick in 2005 and 2006.      Nelson, who will be a Xavier freshman, was No. 72 in the USTA's Georgia girls' 18 rankings and was a USTA Southern Section summer tennis camp scholarship recipient in 2003. She graduated from Faith Academy in Stockbridge, Ga. Steffl, an XU junior, returns to the Gold Nuggets after leaving the university in 2004 because of injury.      Xavier's men will open their fall schedule Friday in a three-day event, the UL Invitational at Lafayette, La. Both teams will compete Sept. 24-27 in the HBCU National Championships at Atlanta, Ga., and the women will compete Oct. 9-11 in the Warhawk Classic at Monroe.      Both Xavier teams won Gulf Coast Athletic Conference championships in 2009 and reached the second round of the NAIA National Championships.