It was a busy week for Bahamians on the collegiate tennis circuit, and the season has less than a month of action left.
Jacobi Bain and the Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) Gold Rush team shut out Millsaps College, 7-0, on Tuesday to extend their winning streak at home to 28 consecutive matchups. They play their home games at the XULA Tennis Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The last time the Gold Rush lost at home was in April 2018. They sport a 12-5 overall win/loss record on the season, and are ranked at number eight nationally in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
Bain played at the number one singles and easily took care of John Kimball, 6-1 and 6-0. The Bahamian and his doubles partner Nereo Suarez clinched the doubles titles for their team when they won 6-1 against Carson Chassaignac and Jakub Bobinski.
The Gold Rush will have a busy weekend playing tomorrow against National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II (DII) team Southern Arkansas at 11 a.m. at the Ralph ‘Skeeter’ Carson Tennis Complex in Pensacola, Florida, and then playing West Florida at that same location on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Also in action on Tuesday was The Bahamas women’s national champion, Elana Mackey. She competed for the Mars Hill University Lions and helped them get a 5-2 victory over the Emory and Henry College Wasps.
Mackey was impressive in the number one singles spot as she wasted no time in taking down Sabina Chernega in straight sets. She won 6-1 and 6-1. In doubles, Mackey and partner Amanda Kadiri took down Chernega and Natalie Bergmann to help the Lions sweep the doubles matches and secure the point.
The win over the Wasps gave the Lions a 6-5 overall record and a 1-3 record in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) in the NCAA DII.
In NCAA Division I action, Sydney Clarke and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Blazers had a tough weekend as they dropped both of their dual matchups at the Hoover Met Tennis Center in Hoover, Alabama. The were swept 0-5 by the Florida State University (FSU) Seminoles and lost a nail-biter 3-4 to the University of Texas at El Paso Miners. The Blazers now sport a 7-8 record on the season.
Clarke played the number three singles match against the Miners and won 6-3 and 6-0, overcoming Zuzanna Szczepanska on Sunday. She and doubles partner Maggie White played in the number one spot but they lost to Thassane Abrahim and Veronika Lebisova, 5-7.
On Saturday, Clarke dropped a three-setter against the Seminoles’ Vic Allen, 2-6, 6-3 and 1-6. She and White teamed up against Anna Arkadianou and Millie Bissett, and that doubles match wasn’t completed as the Seminoles had already secured the doubles point.
UAB returns to action on Wednesday March 29 when they play against Jacksonville State at the Hoover Met Tennis Center at 1 p.m.
Abigail Simms and the Indiana Tech Warriors remain unbeaten in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) as they took care of a rival, the University of Northwestern Ohio Racers, 5-2 on Saturday. The last time they lost in their conference was back in April 2019. They have a 4-5 record on the season.
Simms lost her number one singles match against Ana Cetina in two sets, 3-6 and 0-6. In the doubles portion, Simms and her teammate Thaina Carvalho lost in number one doubles action. They lost 5-7 to Neo Mafuteka and Alizee Ripolles.
Indiana Tech returns to action today when they play Grace College at the Wildwood Racquet Club in Fort Wayne, Indiana. That dual takes place at noon.