Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Gold Rush drop to 3rd after trading places with Keiser

Xavier University of Louisiana men's tennisNEW ORLEANS — The drop was inevitable, but the momentum is still building.
     

Xavier University of Louisiana switched positions Tuesday with Keiser in the NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25. The Gold Rush dropped from second to third, and the Seahawks moved to No. 2 after their 6-3 victory March 27 against XULA.
     

It was the first time since April 1, 2014, that the Gold Rush dropped in the national rankings. The XULA men had spent the previous 15 polls at No. 2.
     

But coach Alan Green isn't dealing with despair. His team won twice at home this past weekend against NCAA Division I opponents, including a come-from-behind 5-4 victory Saturday against Troy. What he saw that day encouraged him.
     

"If we can continue to play like we did against Troy, we're going to feel pretty good about our chances at nationals," said Green, who led the Gold Rush to national runner-up finishes in 2016 and 2017.
     

XULA (10-8), which has played six ranked teams this season, will play three more in the next five days. The Gold Rush will play host to NAIA No. 13 William Carey at 2 p.m. Thursday — start time was pushed back one hour — then travel to Pensacola, Fla., for matchups with two NCAA Division II teams: No. 12 Valdosta State at 3 p.m. Saturday and No. 8 West Florida at noon Sunday.
     

XULA climbed from fifth to fourth in the women's rankings, making it the first time ever that both XULA teams are in the national top four simultaneously.
     

XULA has the longest active streak of top-25 appearances in NAIA men's tennis. Here are all the Gold Rush active poll streaks:

     •  92 consecutive appearances in the top 25 . . . streak began April 4, 2007.
     •  83 consecutive appearances in the top 20 . . . streak began April 30, 2008.
     •  68 consecutive appearances in the top 15 . . . streak began Feb. 1, 2011.
     •  62 consecutive appearances in the top 10 . . . streak began May 3, 2011.
     •  24 consecutive appearances in the top 5 . . . streak began Jan. 26, 2016.
     •  22 consecutive appearances in the top 3 . . . streak began March 1, 2016.
 

NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records through April 8)

RankPreviousSchoolRecordPoints
11Georgia Gwinnett [14]21-0374
23Keiser (Fla.)13-5362
32Xavier (La.)10-8350
44Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)8-0338
57Mobile (Ala.)17-1312
66William Woods (Mo.)6-5310
78Cumberland (Tenn.)14-1309
89Cardinal Stritch (Wis.)7-3294
911Campbellsville (Ky.)11-3272
105Northwestern Ohio6-5266
1110Arizona Christian16-5252
1212Middle Georgia State9-3238
1314San Diego Christian (Calif.)8-5227
1413William Carey (Miss.)7-3224
1515Reinhardt (Ga.)11-2222
1616Westmont (Calif.)6-7185
1719Union (Ky.)10-4173
1817Asbury (Ky.)7-1169
1918Coastal Georgia10-6160
2021Tennessee Wesleyan8-3144
2120Lawrence Tech (Mich.)17-3140
2223Indiana Wesleyan24-5107
2322McPherson (Kan.)6-3104
2425Point (Ga.)13-6100
2524St. Thomas (Fla.)6-677
Others Receiving Votes: Texas A&M-Texarkana 61; Loyola (La.) 60; Bethany (Kan.) 36; Aquinas (Mich.) 29; Cumberlands (Ky.) 27; Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) 24; Judson (Ill.) 9; Marian (Ind.) 7; Missouri Valley 4; Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 4; Hastings (Neb.) 3

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