No. 3 Gold Nuggets keep their place in poll trifecta

NEW ORLEANS — You've seen this before: No. 1 Georgia Gwinnett, No. 2 Keiser and No. 3 Xavier University of Louisiana in the NAIA women's tennis rankings.
     
For the sixth consecutive time — and the fifth time in as many polls this season — that was the order when the NAIA announced its top 25 Tuesday.
     
XULA is third in the rankings for the eighth consecutive time.
     
Georgia Gwinnett, Keiser and the Gold Nuggets are a combined 25-0 this season against NAIA opponents. The XULA women are 6-0 against NAIA top-25 teams, 3-0 against the top 10.
     
The Gold Nuggets were 4-1 since the previous poll with victories against top-25 Indiana Wesleyan, SCAD Atlanta and William Woods. A 5-0 home decision Friday over William Woods was the Gold Nuggets' 17th victory in their last 18 dual matches against ranked opponents. XULA has won eight of its last nine against top-10 teams.
     
The XULA women and men will play Lewis-Clark State — the LCSU women are ranked 23rd — at 3 p.m. Thursday at XULA Tennis Center. XULA coach Alan Green said the Gold Nuggets' matches this weekend in Pensacola, Fla., have been canceled.
 

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

RANK	PREVIOUS	SCHOOL	RECORD	POINTS
1	1	Georgia Gwinnett (14)	11-0	374
2	2	Keiser (Fla.)	13-3	362
3	3	Xavier (La.)	12-4	350
4	4	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)	3-1	330
5	9	William Carey (Miss.)	7-1	323
6	10	SCAD Savannah (Ga.)	8-1	314
7	6	William Woods (Mo.)	3-5	295
8	7	Cardinal Stritch (Wis.)	4-6	292
9	8	LSU-Alexandria (La.)	4-1	273
10	12	Middle Georgia	8-4	268
11	11	Indiana Wesleyan	24-5	263
12	5	Brenau (Ga.)	6-6	250
13	14	Mobile (Ala.)	6-3	221
14	14	Westmont (Calif.)	12-4	213
15	13	Cumberland (Tenn.)	7-3	208
16	16	San Diego Christian (Calif.)	10-2	190
17	21	Georgetown (Ky.)	8-3	172
18	19	Union (Ky.)	6-2	171
19	RV	Southeastern (Fla.)	14-3	165
20	17	Cumberlands (Ky.)	4-4	143
20	18	SCAD Atlanta (Ga.)	7-5	143
22	20	Loyola (La.)	7-6	129
23	22	Lewis-Clark State (Idaho)	4-7	105
24	24	Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)	7-5	103
25	22	Campbellsville (Ky.)	6-3	83

Dropped from the Top 25: Missouri Valley
Others Receiving Votes: Missouri Valley 77, Webber International (Fla.) 41, Marian (Ind.) 36, Asbury (Ky.) 24, Coastal Georgia 19, Tennessee Wesleyan 18, Arizona Christian 13, Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 10 Southwestern (Kan.) 16, Northwestern Ohio 4.

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