Defending champion XULA opens fall schedule at HBCU National Championships

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana’s men’s and women’s tennis teams will open their fall schedule Thursday in the HBCU National Championships in the Atlanta suburb of College Park, Ga.

The Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets won the team titles at this event a year ago.

South Fulton Tennis Center is the venue, same as last year. The three-day event will conclude Saturday.

The remainder of XULA’s fall schedule:
•  Sept. 30-Oct. 2:  NAIA Gulf ITA Regional at XULA Tennis Center and City Park Pepsi Tennis Center.
•  Oct. 7-8:  Jackson State Invitational at Jackson, Miss.
•  Oct. 13-16:  ITA Cup at Rome, Ga.

Returning letterwinners are Valaine Clarke, Lindsey Dixon, Tianna Dixon, Juliette Finch, Valentina Largacha, Kareemah Muhammad, Yi Chen Pao and Ariana Stephens on the women’s team and Jacobi Bain, Guillermo Coiras, Dedric Ray and Jered Wilson on the men’s. Women’s newcomers are Mbali Langa and McKenna Wheatley, and the men’s newcomers are Mathieu Strauss, Nereo Suarez and VanDer Woody.

Back for his 20th season as head coach of the Rush and Nuggets is Alan Green. He’s assisted by XULA tennis alumni Lacee Ancar, Nour Abbes and Juan Ramirez. XULA will play dual matches beginning in late January. XULA is one of the best small-college tennis programs in the United States. The men are a three-time NAIA national runner-up, most recently in 2019, and the women are a six-time NAIA national semifinalist, most recently in 2021. All those tournament advances occurred during Green’s coaching tenure.

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