XU Gold Nuggets retain No. 1 rank in NAIA coaches poll

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana held on to its No. 1 ranking Tuesday in the NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll.
    
The Gold Nuggets (17-7) received 8-of-12 first-place votes and 308 points. They were 3-0 since the previous poll on April 16; all the victories occurred in an NAIA unaffiliated group tournament, which Xavier won for the second consecutive year.
    
Prior to the April 16 poll, no Xavier team in any sport had been ranked first in an NAIA coaches poll.
    
No. 2 Auburn Montgomery, a 6-3 loser to the Gold Nuggets on April 6 at the new XU Tennis Center, received the other four first-place votes and 305 points. Brenau collected 293 points and dropped from second to third after losing 5-2 to AUM in the championship dual of the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament on April 20.
    
AUM's climb from third was the only change among the top 13 teams.
    
Xavier is 10-0 this season against ranked NAIA opponents; all the losses were to NCAA Division I teams. The Gold Nuggets have clinched a berth in the NAIA National Championship, which will begin May 14 at Mobile, Ala. The final poll before nationals will be announced Monday.

NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, April 28) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Xavier (8) 17-7 308 1 2 Auburn Montgomery (4) 13-8 305 3 3 Brenau 12-4 293 2 4 SCAD Savannah 12-2 281 4 5 William Carey 11-8 269 5 6 Lindsey Wilson 17-2 259 6 7 Lewis-Clark State 11-8 257 7 8 Westmont 17-2 241 8 9 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 10-10 234 9 10 Oklahoma Baptist 13-10 220 10 11 Vanguard 11-15 209 11 12 Northwood (Fla.) 8-7 201 12 13 Concordia (Calif.) 9-11 189 13 14 Olivet Nazarene 16-6 182 tie-14 15 SCAD Atlanta 7-3 162 19 16 Coastal Georgia 8-8 161 tie-14 17 Indiana Wesleyan 22-1 157 16 18 Cumberland 14-6 152 17 19 Milligan 19-3 139 21 20 Campbellsville 11-9 113 20 21 St. Thomas (Fla.) 6-9 110 18 22 Marian (Ind.) 16-9 99 22 23 Davenport 20-9 92 RV 24 Lee (Tenn.) 4-7 80 23 25 Southeastern (Fla.) 7-11 64 25 Others receiving votes: Ashford 57, Nebraska Wesleyan 36;, Bethel (Kan.) 29, Northwestern Ohio 21, Robert Morris (Chicago) 19, Belhaven 16, Evangel 15, Cumberlands 13, Hope International 5, Graceland 3, Georgetown (Ky.) 3.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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