Nuggets slip to 13th, but many opportunities remain

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana dropped from 10th to 13th Tuesday in the NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll.

The rankings are the first since the preseason poll Jan. 23. The Gold Nuggets dropped their first five dual matches since then, four against NCAA Division I teams.

The rankings do not reflect XULA's 6-3 victory Monday at LSU-Alexandria, which remained ninth. The Gold Nuggets will play three top 20 teams before the next rankings Feb. 27. The first of those ranked opponents will be No. 1 and two-time defending national champion Georgia Gwinnett at 10:30 a.m. EST Friday in the Grizzly Invitational at Lawrenceville, Ga.

XULA will visit No. 20 Brenau Saturday and No. 12 Mobile Feb. 23. In March the Gold Nuggets will play five times against top-25 teams.

XULA is in the top 25 for the 50th consecutive time — the third-longest active streak in NAIA women's tennis. The streak began May 1, 2012. Dating to Feb. 25, 2004, the Gold Nuggets appeared in 95 of the last 105 polls. (The 2005-06 season, when XULA did not compete intercollegiately, is not included.)

NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Feb. 11)
RANK PREVIOUS SCHOOL RECORD POINTS
1 1 Georgia Gwinnett [14] 1-0 374
2 2 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 0-1 358
3 3 Keiser (Fla.) 5-1 353
4 4 William Woods (Mo.) 0-0 336
5 5 SCAD Savannah (Ga.) 3-0 328
6 6 William Carey (Miss.) 0-0 308
7 7 Indiana Wesleyan 14-0 301
8 8 San Diego Christian (Calif.) 2-1 296
9 9 LSU-Alexandria (La.) 0-0 271
10 11 Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) 1-0 261
11 12 Northwestern Ohio 0-1 244
12 13 Mobile (Ala.) 1-0 236
13 10 Xavier (La.) 0-5 232
14 14 Cumberlands (Ky.) 0-2 217
15 15 Arizona Christian 2-0 212
16 16 SCAD Atlanta (Ga.) 0-0 199
17 17 Middle Georgia State 0-0 178
18 18 Campbellsville (Ky.) 1-0 164
19 19 Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 0-0 139
20 21 Brenau (Ga.) 0-2 137
21 20 Georgetown (Ky.) 0-1 136
22 25 St. Thomas (Fla.) 1-3 130
23 22 Coastal Georgia 1-1 102
24 23 Southwestern (Kan.) 0-0 88
25 24 Tennessee Wesleyan 0-0 79
Other receiving votes: Westmont (Calif.) 74, Cumberland (Tenn.) 56, Loyola (La.) 56, Huntington (Ind.) 27, Reinhardt (Ga.) 24, Missouri Valley 22, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 16, Union (Ky.) 6, Asbury (Ky.) 5, Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 3, Hastings (Neb.) 3

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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