Gold XU Rush preseason rank is 12th straight in NAIA top 10

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana was in a familiar spot in the 2013 NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Preseason Poll announced Tuesday.
    
The Gold Rush, 18-8 this past season, are No. 8 in the first of nine team polls this year. It's the 12th consecutive top-10 appearance for the XU men dating to May 2011 and their 42nd consecutive top-25 ranking dating to April 2007.
    
It's also Xavier's highest preseason ranking in this sport. Xavier was ninth in the 2012 preseason and finished the year No. 7 after becoming the first from Xavier in any sport to reach the national quarterfinals since men's basketball in 1973.
    
Xavier opened its spring season this past weekend with a 6-1 loss to Tulane. The Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets will travel to Houma, La., to play Nicholls State at 4 p.m. Saturday. The next Gold Rush home match will start at 2 p.m. on Feb. 8 against NAIA No. 6 William Carey at the new XU Tennis Center.
    
The next two top 25s will be announced Feb. 19 and March 5.

NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records are from 2012 season) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (8) 20-4 279 3 2 Auburn Montgomery (2) 17-8 271 5 3 Vanguard (1) 15-11 265 6 4 Lindsey Wilson 19-6 245 10 5 Concordia (Calif.) 9-13 243 12 6 William Carey 17-5 235 9 7 Westmont 12-10 230 8 8 Xavier 18-8 223 7 9 Aquinas 26-3 212 13 10 Bethany (Kan.) 22-4 205 14 11 Cumberland 18-3 179 16 12 Belhaven 16-4 174 15 13 Olivet Nazarene 15-5 168 20 14 Campbellsville 19-7 166 17 15 Warner 13-5 160 18 16 Graceland 9-7 143 RV 17 McPherson 15-4 137 RV 18 Pikeville 12-6 126 RV 19 Northwestern Ohio 18-7 119 21 20 Webber International 15-7 116 23 21 Spring Arbor 10-2 100 24 22 Georgetown (Ky.) 12-11 90 RV 23 Coastal Georgia 6-7 89 NR 24 Biola 5-14 73 RV 25 Lee (Tenn.) 9-8 67 RV Others receiving votes: Indiana Wesleyan 55; Davenport 49, Missouri Valley 41, SCAD Savannah 23, St. Francis (Ill.) 14, Martin Methodist 13, Tennessee Wesleyan 6, Asbury 4, Hastings 3.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA