3-peat for Gold Rush; Nicholls match moved to 2 p.m.

NEW ORLEANS — For the third time in as many NAIA men's tennis coaches polls this season, Xavier University of Louisiana is No. 3 behind five-time defending national champion Georgia Gwinnett and Keiser.
     
The Gold Rush (2-1) played just once since the previous poll Feb. 12: a 9-0 Sunday victory at Louisiana College. But the XULA men will get busier, playing twice this week and four times each of the following two weeks.
     
Coach Alan Green said the Gold Rush's Wednesday home match against NCAA Division I member Nicholls was pushed up one hour. The new start time will be 2 p.m. at XULA Tennis Center.
     
Georgia Gwinnett (4-0) is a unanimous No. 1 for thr 40th consecutive poll. The next rankings will be announced March 12.
     The Gold Rush active poll streaks:
     •  98 consecutive appearances in the top 25 . . . streak began April 4, 2007.
     •  89 consecutive appearances in the top 20 . . . streak began April 30, 2008.
     •  74 consecutive appearances in the top 15 . . . streak began Feb. 1, 2011.
     •  68 consecutive appearances in the top 10 . . . streak began May 3, 2011.
     •  30 consecutive appearances in the top 5 . . . streak began Jan. 26, 2016.
     •  30 consecutive appearances in the top 4 . . . streak began Jan. 26, 2016.
 

NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through Feb. 24)

RANK	PREVIOUS	SCHOOL	RECORD	POINTS
1	1	Georgia Gwinnett (14)	4-0	374
2	2	Keiser (Fla.)	6-3	361
3	3	Xavier (La.)	2-1	351
4	5	Reinhardt (Ga.)	2-0	337
5	6	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)	0-1	317
5	7	William Woods (Mo.)	1-0	317
7	8	Cumberland (Tenn.)	0-0	299
8	15	Middle Georgia	4-2	290
9	9	Campbellsville (Ky.)	4-0	277
10	10	Cardinal Stritch (Wis.)	0-0	266
11	4	William Carey (Miss.)	2-1	262
12	12	Arizona Christian	4-0	239
13	13	Tennessee Wesleyan	2-1	227
14	11	Mobile (Ala.)	2-1	217
15	14	Union (Ky.)	1-4	210
16	16	Point (Ga.)	3-4	196
17	23	Hope International (Calif.)	5-1	160
18	20	Marian (Ind.)	15-3	159
19	18	McPherson (Kan.)	0-0	157
20	21	Cumberlands (Ky.)	2-0	146
21	19	Northwestern Ohio	4-2	142
22	22	Coastal Georgia	4-2	128
23	17	Westmont (Calif.)	2-3	117
24	23	Asbury (Ky.)	1-1	87
25	RV	Indiana Wesleyan	18-3	71

Dropped from the Top 25: San Diego Christian (Calif.)
Others Receiving Votes: Loyola (La.) 44, Texas A&M-Texarkana 40, Marymount California 34, Judson (Ill.) 21, San Diego Christian (Calif.) 21, Lawrence Tech (Mich.) 20, Ottawa (Kan.) 16, Webber International (Fla.) 11, Missouri Valley 10, Hastings (Neb.) 7, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 6, Georgetown (Ky.) 4, St. Thomas (Fla.) 4, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 3.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletics Director for Communications
Department of Athletics & Recreation
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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