Nuggets are No. 6 — best rank by an XU team since '98

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's women's tennis team reached new heights again Tuesday when it climbed to No. 6 in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll.

 Not only is it the Gold Nuggets' best-ever ranking, but it's also:
• The highest NAIA ranking by any XU team since women's basketball was No. 6 on March 2, 1998.
• The best ranking by an XU tennis team, topping the men's No. 7 in the final three polls of 2012.
• The first time since 2009 that the Gold Nuggets rank ahead of the Gold Rush. The XU men held steady at No. 8.

The Nuggets' previous record was No. 8 in the previous poll on March 19. Key to the their poll boost Tuesday was a 3-0 record during their spring-break trip to Florida this past week, including a 7-2 victory at then-No. 7 Embry-Riddle. It was the Nuggets' first victory against a top-10 opponent since 2005, and they became the first NAIA women's team to win at Embry-Riddle since 2009.

Xavier is 11-7 overall, but all the losses are to NCAA Division I opponents. The Nuggets are 7-0 against NAIA top-25 teams.

More challenges await the Nuggets this week. They'll travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., to play second-ranked William Carey at 3 p.m. Friday, then play No. 3 Auburn Montgomery at 2 p.m. Saturday at the new XU Tennis Center. If coach Alan Green does not reschedule or add any matches, the AUM dual will be the Nuggets' final home appearance of 2013.

NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, March 31) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Brenau (12) 8-2 312 1 2 William Carey 9-5 302 2 3 Auburn Montgomery 9-5 291 3 4 SCAD Savannah 9-2 282 4 5 Lindsey Wilson 8-2 271 5 6 Xavier 11-7 257 8 7 Westmont 14-1 256 6 8 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 7-8 241 7 9 Concordia (Calif.) 8-8 232 9 10 Lewis-Clark State 3-7 224 10 11 Oklahoma Baptist 10-5 205 13 12 Vanguard 8-13 202 11 13 Indiana Wesleyan 16-0 194 12 14 Northwood (Fla.) 7-5 183 14 15 Coastal Georgia 5-7 171 15 16 Cumberland 6-4 165 20 17 St. Thomas (Fla.) 5-8 142 19 18 Olivet Nazarene 5-5 141 17 19 Campbellsville 4-6 133 16 20 Lee (Tenn.) 2-3 128 18 21 Marian (Ind.) 15-6 107 21 22 Southeastern (Fla.) 7-9 84 RV 23 Belhaven 8-4 79 tie-23 24 SCAD Atlanta 4-0 65 RV 25 Nebraska Wesleyan 4-6 60 22 Others receiving votes: Ashford 48, Hope International 48, Robert Morris (Chicago) 45, Milligan 39, Bethel (Kan.) 19, Davenport 18, Georgetown (Ky.) 16, Martin Methodist 14, Evangel 5, Graceland 4, Indiana Southeast 3, Aquinas 3.

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