Monday, 05/04/2009

NEW ORLEANS -- The women of Union (Ky.) and Oklahoma Christian's men will be the first-round opponents of Xavier University of Louisiana in next week's NAIA National Tennis Championships at Mobile, Ala.
Xavier (18-6), No. 15 in the final coaches poll, will get a 1 p.m. rematch May 12 with unranked Union (13-3), which lost 5-0 to the Gold Nuggets on April 11 at Rome, Ga. It will be the second consecutive appearance in the national tournament and fourth overall for the Nuggets, who are 3-0 in first-round matches.
The Gold Rush (16-6), ranked 18th and in its first appearance at NAIA nationals, finally will get a shot at No. 16 Oklahoma Christian (9-5) at 9 a.m. May 12 after they were rained out on consecutive days in mid-March during the Auburn Montgomery Invitational.
Xavier is the first HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) to qualify for the men's NAIA National Championship since its dual-match format began in 2000.
The Xavier-Oklahoma Christian winner will play top-ranked and three-time defending champion Auburn Montgomery (17-2) at 9 a.m. May 13 in the men's second round. The Xavier-Union winner will play third-ranked Berry (13-3) in the women's second round at 1 p.m. May 13.
Copeland-Cox Tennis Center, formerly Mobile Tennis Center, will be the site of the tournaments for the sixth consecutive year. Twenty-four men's teams and 24 women's teams will compete. Both Xavier teams received automatic bids by winning the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference tournaments April 24.