XU Rush match highest-ever ranking, 5th, in postseason poll

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana climbed one place to fifth Tuesday in the NAIA Men's Tennis Postseason Coaches' Top 25 Poll.
    
Xavier (15-8) matched its highest-ever rating in an NAIA men's tennis poll. The Gold Rush were fifth in the polls of April 16 and 30 before dropping to sixth on May 6.
    
It's the third consecutive year that the XU men are in the top 10 of the season's final poll. This is the second straight year that the final poll occurred after the NAIA National Championship. The Gold Rush ranked eighth in 2011 and seventh in 2012.
    
The Gold Rush became the first XU program to reach the quarterfinals of an NAIA National Championship in consecutive seasons. Vanguard eliminated the Rush 5-2 in that round on Thursday.
    
Coupled with the Gold Nuggets' No. 3 ranking, it makes Xavier one of two schools — Auburn Montgomery is the other — with both tennis teams in the 2013 postseason top five.
    
The Gold Rush are in the top 25 for the 50th consecutive time — a streak which began April 4, 2007 — and in the top 10 for the 20th straight time.

NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through end of season) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (13) 24-2 343 1 2 Auburn Montgomery 21-4 332 2 3 Vanguard 24-1 321 3 4 Westmont 13-11 310 4 5 Xavier 15-8 294 6 6 Lindsey Wilson 17-4 290 8 7 Cumberland 19-5 274 9 8 Aquinas 25-5 269 12 9 Bethany (Kan.) 22-2 254 5 10 Bethel (Tenn.) 20-2 248 7 11 Concordia (Calif.) 12-13 226 10 12 Belhaven 16-5 222 11 13 William Carey 9-6 202 tie-13 14 Graceland 15-7 200 18 15 Northwestern Ohio 14-8 188 17 16 Northwood (Fla.) 12-6 182 15 17 Warner 13-10 165 19 18 Oklahoma Baptist 15-11 163 tie-13 19 Olivet Nazarene 11-13 146 21 20 Lewis-Clark State 7-9 134 16 21 Pikeville 10-5 126 20 22 Campbellsville 10-12 105 22 23 McPherson 21-8 98 23 24 Davenport 18-7 96 24 25 Webber International 10-12 75 25 Others receiving votes: Indiana Wesleyan 69, Coastal Georgia 51, Martin Methodist 48, Grace 21, Asbury 16, Mobile 9, Spring Arbor 9, St. Francis (Ill.) 8, Doane 6.

By Ed Cassiere, SID
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA