Rome, GA – The 13th-ranked University of the Cumberlands women's tennis team dropped a 4-2 decision to sixth-ranked Xavier University of Louisiana on Friday morning in the opening round of the NAIA Blast-Off Tournament at the Rome Tennis Center. 

Xavier (La.) secured the early advantage by claiming the doubles point with victories at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. The Gold Nuggets opened with a 6-0 win at the No. 2 position before sealing the point with a 6-2 victory at No. 3 doubles. The top doubles match featuring Mahiro Hara and YuFang Liu was left unfinished at 5-5. 

In singles play, the Patriots picked up wins at two positions but could not overcome Xavier's depth. Mahiro Hara delivered a strong performance at No. 4 singles, rallying from a first-set deficit to earn a straight-sets win, 7-6, 6-1. YuFang Liu added another point for Cumberlands with a dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 6 singles. 

Xavier secured the team victory with singles wins at the top three positions. The Gold Nuggets earned straight-set victories at No. 1 singles and prevailed in three-set battles at both No. 2 and No. 3 singles to clinch the match. The No. 5 singles match between Rion Yanuma and Laura Lopez went unfinished as the match was decided. 

The Patriots are back on the court on Saturday, March 14, where they will continue their match play in the NAIA Blast Off tournament. Their last match is against No. 18 Dillard with a 10:00 AM start time.   

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