No. 3 Gold Rush in final top 10 for 8th straight year

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana climbed one place to No. 3 Wednesday in the NAIA men's tennis coaches postseason poll.
     
The Gold Rush (13-12) finished in the top 10 for the eighth consecutive year and in the top three for the third straight season. XULA was national runner-up in 2016 and 2017 and a semifinalist this year.
     
It's the Gold Rush's 13th consecutive season in the final top 25.
     
XULA extended its streak of consecutive top-25 appearances to 95. That's the longest active streak in NAIA men's tennis. The streak began April 4, 2007.
     
XULA won 2-of-3 dual matches at the NAIA National Championships in Mobile, Ala., last week. The Gold Rush had a first-round bye, then defeated Middle Georgia 5-1 in the round of 16 and William Carey 5-3 in the quarterfinals. Georgia Gwinnett eliminated the Rush 5-0 in the semifinals en route to the Grizzlies' fifth consecutive championship.
     
Georgia Gwinnett was a unanimous No. 1 for the 37th consecutive poll.
     
XULA was 4-3 this year against NAIA teams in the postseason top 25: 0-2 against Georgia Gwinnett, 2-1 against No. 4 William Carey, 1-0 against No. 11 Mobile and 1-0 against No. 13 Middle Georgia. The Gold Rush also produced four victories against NCAA Division I teams (Jackson State, Nicholls, Prairie View A&M and Troy) and two victories against teams in the final NCAA Division II top 25 (Bluefield State and Embry-Riddle [Fla.])
     
The Gold Rush active poll streaks:

     •  95 consecutive appearances in the top 25 . . . streak began April 4, 2007.
     •  86 consecutive appearances in the top 20 . . . streak began April 30, 2008.
     •  71 consecutive appearances in the top 15 . . . streak began Feb. 1, 2011.
     •  65 consecutive appearances in the top 10 . . . streak began May 3, 2011.
     •  27 consecutive appearances in the top 5 . . . streak began Jan. 26, 2016.
     •  27 consecutive appearances in the top 4 . . . streak began Jan. 26, 2016.
 

NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Postseason Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through May 19)

RANK	PREVIOUS	SCHOOL	RECORD	POINTS
1	1	Georgia Gwinnett (14)	27-0	374
2	2	Keiser (Fla.)	18-7	362
3	4	Xavier (La.)	13-12	350
4	5	William Carey (Miss.)	13-4	327
5	14	Reinhardt (Ga.)	19-4	321
6	3	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)	14-1	313
7	7	William Woods (Mo.)	16-7	307
8	6	Cumberland (Tenn.)	21-4	296
9	11	Campbellsville (Ky.)	20-7	271
10	9	Cardinal Stritch (Wis.)	16-5	265
11	8	Mobile (Ala.)	19-3	261
12	10	Arizona Christian	19-8	248
13	13	Middle Georgia State	12-8	232
14	17	Union (Ky.)	14-6	208
15	16	Tennessee Wesleyan	12-5	195
15	12	Northwestern Ohio	13-6	195
17	15	Westmont (Calif.)	8-10	185
18	18	San Diego Christian (Calif.)	8-8	167
19	25	McPherson (Kan.)	15-4	164
20	20	Lawrence Tech (Mich.)	20-6	144
21	19	Asbury (Ky.)	15-2	141
22	21	Coastal Georgia	11-7	112
23	22	Indiana Wesleyan	29-11	111
24	23	Point (Ga.)	15-8	94
25	24	Cumberlands (Ky.)	8-11	83

Others Receiving Votes: Texas A&M-Texarkana 82, Bethany (Kan.) 44; Loyola (La.) 40; Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 30; Missouri Valley 25; St. Francis (Ill.) 11; Aquinas (Mich.) 10; Bluefield (Va.) 7; Hastings (Neb.) 7; Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) 6

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