THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University men's tennis team strung together its first winning streak of the season as the Colonels defeated Xavier (La.), 4-3, on Tuesday at the Colonel Tennis Complex.
The Gold Rush jumped out to a 1-0 lead after doubles, winning 8-6 on the No. 3 court before clinching the point with an 8-5 win at No. 1. Xavier then went up 2-0 after Kyle Montrel defeated
Partha Adavelly on the No. 1 court in singles, 7-5, 6-1.
Bernard Wezeman put Nicholls on the board with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Tushar Mandlekar at No. 4 and
Lukas Clemens followed suit with a 6-1, 0-6, 6-3 win against Jordan Herrell at No. 3. However, the Gold Rush inched closer to the team win after Nikita Soifer was victorious on the No. 2 court against
Evan Karatzas, who retired in the third set.
With Xavier leading 3-2 and needing one more point to clinch the match,
Kieran Cronin kept the Colonels alive with a 6-1, 6-3 win on the No. 6 court against Kevin Chaouat. The match then came down to the No. 5 pairing between the Colonels'
Sam Meessen and XU's Vincenzo Ciccone. Meessen took the first set, 6-3, and went on to shutout Ciccone in the second to give Nicholls a 4-3 win.
Nicholls will go for its third straight win as the Colonels host Alcorn State on Friday, March 20, at the Colonel Tennis Complex. First serve is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
Nicholls 4, Xavier (La.) 3 Singles
1. Kyle Montrel (XULA) def. Partha Adavelly (NICM) 7-5, 6-1
2. Nikita Soifer (XULA) def. Evan Karatzas (NICM) 6-3, 5-7, 2-2, retired
3. Lukas Clemens (NICM) def. Jordan Harrell (XULA) 6-1, 0-6, 6-3
4. Bernard Wezeman (NICM) def. Tushar Mandlekar (XULA) 6-3, 7-5
5. Sam Meessen (NICM) def. Vincenzo Ciccone (XULA) 6-3, 6-0
6. Kieran Cronin (NICM) def. Kevin Chaouat (XULA) 6-1, 6-3
Doubles
1. Kyle Montrel/Nikita Soifer (XULA) def. Partha Adavelly/Lukas Clemens (NICM) 8-5
2. Kieran Cronin/Bernard Wezeman (NICM) vs. Tushar Mandlekar/Manav Chakma (XULA) 7-7, unfinished
3. Adam Albrecht/Kevin Chaouat (XULA) def. Evan Karatzas/Sam Meessen (NICM) 8-6
Match Notes:
Xavier (La.) NA
Nicholls 3-7
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (1,4,3,2,6,5)
