XULA tennis face strong competition at HBCU Nationals
Xavier’s tennis teams, the Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets, competed in Fulton County, Ga. in the HBCU National Tennis Championship from Sept. 19-22. Facing competition from over 15 schools, the men’s team finished 13th, while the women’s team placed 11th.
“This weekend was about evaluating and seeing where we are as a team,” said Alan Green, the head coach of both the men’s and women’s teams. “There were some good things and some not-so-good things, which means we have a lot of work to do.”
Green said that the freshmen gave a good performance in the tournament. “It was their first college matches, and they handled themselves well. They look like they belong and have a bright future here.”
Gold Nuggets freshman Asadah Ma’at won both her singles and doubles matches on the first day of the tournament. However, as the competition progressed, she faced tougher opponents, underscoring areas where she can improve.
“I’m glad I won my first match, but there is definitely a lot of improvement that needs to be made,” Ma’at said. “This is not how I want to keep performing, but I hope to get better as I continue playing.”
Sophomore Amira Bergaoui also delivered a strong performance for the women’s team, advancing to the semifinals of the Women’s A-Draw, before being eliminated by Alejandra Hidalgo Vega from North Carolina Central University. Bergaoui finished in fourth place overall.
On the men’s side, the doubles team of Dedric Ray and Arthur Yakubov made it to the semifinals of the Men’s Doubles B-Draw before their run ended.
“This year’s HBCU tournament was really high level,” said Nereo Suarez, a junior in his third year with the Gold Rush. He noted that the tournament featured strong players across all levels, making for tougher competition than in previous years.
Suarez faced early exits in singles, doubles, and consolation matches, all in the first round. Despite these setbacks, Suarez remained optimistic.
“The team did okay, even though we didn’t get the results we wanted,” Suarez said. “I believe it was a good experience to see where we are right now.”
