XU's Didavi, Taylor grab third place in NAIA doubles

MOBILE, Alabama -- Xavier University of Louisiana's second-seeded Loic Didavi and Zach Taylor defeated Oklahoma Christian's fourth-seeded Bruno Tiberti and Martin Poboril 6-7 (4), 7-5, 1-0 (10-7) Friday in the NAIA men's doubles third-place match of the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships.

 Loic Didavi 

Zach Taylor

Didavi, unseeded in singles, upset fourth-seeded Vladislav Khudziy of Huntington (Ind.) 6-4, 6-3 in the consolation semifinals.

Didavi and Taylor lost 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals to Fresno Pacific's third-seeded Cledson Carvalho and Nathan Martinet.

XU's doubles tandem finished the fall semester 7-2. Taylor is 22-10 at Xavier in two seasons of doubles.

"That third-place match started right after both teams lost in the semifinals," Xavier coach Alan Green said. "Both teams were given a 40-minute break, but they decided to stay on court and play. Oklahoma Christian was coming off a tough loss in a super-tiebreaker.

"At first it looked like all four guys did not want to be on the court, but they eventually warmed up to it. It was a back-and-forth match. Loic and Zach did a great job taking control in the second set, then they got a good lead early in the super-tiebreaker and held on."

Didavi, 9-1 in singles this season, broke Khudziy's serve to take a 4-2 lead in the second set.

"Loic's first set of singles was ugly," Green said. "He almost lost serve a couple of times but pulled it out.

"Loic's opponent was really good but deceptive. It was a mental challenge for Loic because his opponent looked like he was coasting at times, and at other times he'd produce great shots. It was hard for Loic to get into a rhythm, but he did what he had to do to win."

Didavi will play Graceland's Laurentsi Arakhamiya at 8:30 a.m. Saturday for fifth place.

Graceland's first-year coach is Xavier graduate Monroe Walker, who played for the Gold Rush from 2001-05.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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For 2nd time in 3 years, XU's Green is state Coach of the Year

Hassan Abbas

Zach Taylor

Coach Alan Green

NEW ORLEANS — For the second time in three years, Xavier University of Louisiana's Alan Green is Coach of the Year on the All-Louisiana men's tennis team selected by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

The team, announced late Saturday, includes two Xavier players. Senior Hassan Abbas made the first team, and junior Zach Taylor is on the second team.

Green, a New Orleans native in his eighth season at Xavier, led the Gold Rush to a 13-9 record, a third consecutive berth in the NAIA National Championship, the program's first top-10 ranking and the first victory against a top-10 NAIA opponent — 6-3 at Vanguard on March 4. XU had five victories against teams in the final NAIA coaches poll and two victories vs. NCAA Division I. All the losses were to ranked NAIA opponents or D-I.

This was the first Xavier team in any sport to be ranked in the top 10 of a final NAIA poll since women's basketball in 1997-98. XU was top 10 in four of the last five polls.

Abbas, from Saltaire, England, and a graduate of Bingley Grammar School and Ventura (Calif.) College, is the first XU men's tennis player to make the All-Louisiana first team twice or in consecutive seasons. Abbas was 15-6 in singles and 15-8 doubles this season and was 31st in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association/NAIA singles rankings.

Taylor, from Monroe, La., and a graduate of St. Frederick High School and Ventura College, was 11-10 in singles and 15-8 in doubles. He was 24th in ITA/NAIA singles rankings. Taylor and Abbas are 15th nationally in doubles.

2010-11 All-Louisiana Collegiate Men's Tennis Team

First Team Name School Class Hometown Idan Mark Tulane So. Santana Hod Hasharon, Israel Neal Skupski LSU Jr. Liverpool, England Sebastian Carlsson LSU Sr. Uppsala, Sweden Dmitry Kozionov Nicholls State So. Ivhevsk, Russia Hassan Abbas Xavier Sr. Saltaire, England Abdelrahman Zaki New Orleans Jr. Egypt Second Team Name School Class Hometown Hossam Meligy New Orleans So. Egypt Julien Gauthier LSU Sr. Repentigny, Canada Joe Young Tulane So. Redlands, Calif. Palash Tiwari Nicholls State So. New Delhi, India Zach Taylor Xavier Jr. Monroe, La. Yanick Mandl Louisiana-Lafayette Jr. Thalwil, Switzerland
Player of the Year:  Neal Skupski, LSU Newcomer of the Year:  Idan Mark, Tulane Freshman of the Year:  Hossam Meligy, New Orleans Coach of the Year:  Alan Green, Xavier

By Ed Cassiere, Xavier University of Louisiana
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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XU's Abbas, Taylor are second-team NAIA All-Americans

Hassan Abbas

Steffen Giles-
Osborn

Zach Taylor

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Hassan Abbas and Zach Taylor were second-team selections on the 2011 NAIA Men's Tennis All-America Teams announced Tuesday.

Earning honorable mention was XU's Steffen Giles-Osborn.

Abbas and Taylor are Xavier's fourth and fifth men's tennis All-Americans of the modern era. Mike Green (2009), Terry Richardson (2009) and Miroslav Vukicevic (2008) also were second-team selections. Abbas, a senior from Saltaire, England, and a graduate of Bingley Grammar School and Ventura (Calif.) College, was 15-6 in singles and 15-8 doubles this season and was 31st in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association/NAIA singles rankings.

Taylor, a junior from Monroe, La., and a graduate of St. Frederick High School and Ventura College, was 11-10 in singles and 15-8 in doubles. He was 24th in ITA/NAIA singles rankings. Taylor and Abbas are 15th nationally in doubles.

Giles-Osborn, a junior from Atlanta, Ga., and a graduate of Westlake High School, was 12-14 in singles and 13-14 in doubles. He was 17th in the South in the ITA/NAIA singles rankings and 15th in the South in doubles with Sean Richardson.

Xavier was 13-9 this season, winning the NAIA Unaffiliated Group 2 Tournament and qualifying for the NAIA National Championship for the third consecutive year. The XU men's No. 8 final ranking was their highest ever.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Vanguard eliminates XU Gold Rush in NAIA second round

MOBILE, Ala. — Vanguard's reversal of fortune resulted in a 5-3 victory Wednesday against Xavier University of Louisiana in the second round of the NAIA Men's Tennis National Championship.

The Lions (9-13), seeded ninth in the 24-team tournament, advanced to the quarterfinals for the third straight year and the seventh time in eight seasons. They avenged a 6-3 March 4 home loss to Xavier.

Xavier, seeded eighth, got a doubles victory from freshmen Amir Rahbar and Jonathan Aubrey and singles victories from Zach Taylor and Hassan Abbas, but the Gold Rush (13-10) were eliminated in the second round for the third straight season.

"Vanguard was much more intense, focused and determined than earlier in the season," Xavier Coach Alan Green said.

The Lions' turnaround began in doubles, where they dominated at the top two flights after losing those matches to Xavier in the regular season. Lucas Pereira and Alexandre Piccin throttled Abbas and Taylor 8-0 at No. 1 — the first shutout loss of the season for the NAIA's 15th-ranked tandem — and Yahor Kryvaruchka and Sandro Bucher beat Steffen Giles-Osborn and Sean Richardson 8-2. It was the first time since March 15, 2003, that XU's top two doubles teams combined to win just two games.

"Vanguard came out and destroyed us in the top two doubles matches," Green said.

Xavier finally scored when Rahbar and Aubrey defeated Nils Iwdal and Robin Wagner 8-4. Abbas tied the dual at 2 with his 6-2, 6-1 victory against Kryvaruchka at No. 2 singles, and Taylor made it 3-all with his 6-0, 6-4 decision against seventh-ranked Pereira at No. 1. But Piccin put Vanguard ahead to stay with a 6-1, 6-3 victory against Richardson at No. 5, and Bucher clinched the dual at No. 3 with a 6-4, 6-4 decision against Giles-Osborn.

"Vanguard was a different team than the one we faced in California," Green said. "They never gave us any opportunity to get into the match. We fought hard in singles but couldn't gain a lead in the overall score."

Still it was a record-setting season for Xavier. The March victory at Vanguard was the first for the Gold Rush against a top-10 NAIA opponent, and it propelled the XU men into the top 10 for the first time. Xavier was top 10 in five of the final six polls and finished at a program-record eighth.

But with high achievements come higher expectations — and the chance of bigger letdowns.

"The season shouldn't have ended the way it did for us," Green said. "This was a very disappointing loss."

Results

NAIA National Championship (seedings in parentheses) First Round — 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 17 St. Thomas (Fla.) (17) d. Aquinas (16) 5-4 Vanguard (9) d. Mobile (24) 9-0 Graceland (12) d. Huntington (Ind.) (21) 8-1 Concordia (Calif.) (13) d. Bethany (Kan.) (20) 5-3 Lindsey Wilson (14) d. Lewis-Clark State (19) 6-3 Shorter (11) d. Hastings (22) 8-1 Union (Ky.) (10) d. Brescia (23) 9-0 William Carey (15) d. Olivet Nazarene (18) 6-3 Second Round — 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 18 Fresno Pacific (1) d. St. Thomas (Fla.) (17) 5-0 Vanguard (9) d. Xavier (8) 5-3 Azusa Pacific (5) d. Graceland (12) 5-1 Oklahoma Christian (4) d. Concordia (Calif.) (13) 5-0 Auburn Montgomery (3) d. Lindsey Wilson (14) 5-0 Westmont (6) d. Shorter (11) 5-1 Point Loma Nazarene (7) d. Union (Ky.) (10) 5-2 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (2) d. William Carey (15) 5-1 Quarterfinals — 9 a.m. on Thursday, May 19 Fresno Pacific (1) vs. Vanguard (9) Azusa Pacific (5) vs. Oklahoma Christian (4) Auburn Montgomery (3) vs. Westmont (6) Point Loma Nazarene (7) vs. Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (2) Semifinals — 9 a.m. on Friday, May 20 Championship — 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 21 Xavier at Nationals (2-3) May 12, 2009 (first round): Xavier 5, Oklahoma Christian 4 May 13, 2009 (second round): Auburn Montgomery 5, Xavier 0 May 18, 2010 (first round): Xavier 5, Tennessee Wesleyan 3 May 19, 2010 (second round): Fresno Pacific 5, Xavier 1 May 18, 2011 (second round): Vanguard 5, Xavier 3

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Xavier Gold Rush to play Vanguard in second round of nationals

The 2010-11 Xavier University of Louisiana men's tennis team: from left,
 Zach Taylor, Jonathan Aubrey, Steffen Giles-Osborn, Coach Alan Green,
 Amir Rahbar, Sean Richardson and Hassan Abbas.
(Photo courtesy - Xavier University Sports Information)

MOBILE, Ala. — Xavier University of Louisiana will get a rematch with Vanguard in Wednesday's second round of the NAIA Men's Tennis National Championship at Copeland-Cox Tennis Center.

Xavier, 13-9 and the No. 8 seed, had a first-round bye Tuesday. Vanguard, 8-13 and the No. 9 seed, advanced to the second round with a 9-0 victory against No. 24 Mobile.

The XU men won 6-3 at Vanguard on March 4 for their first-ever victory against a top-10 NAIA opponent. The Gold Rush won at the top two doubles flights and got singles victories from Zach Taylor, Hassan Abbas, Amir Rahbar and Sean Richardson. Taylor clinched the dual with his 6-2, 7-5 victory against Pereira, the NAIA's 10th-ranked singles player.

This is Xavier's third consecutive appearance at nationals. The Gold Rush lost in the second round to the eventual runner-up each of the past two seasons after first-round victories against Oklahoma Christian in 2009 and Tennessee Wesleyan in 2010.

The Gold Rush will try to become the second Xavier team in any sport to reach the NAIA quarterfinals. The only time it happened was in men's basketball in 1973.

NAIA National Championship (seedings in parentheses) First Round — 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 17 St. Thomas (Fla.) (17) d. Aquinas (16) 5-4 Vanguard (9) d. Mobile (24) 9-0 Graceland (12) d. Huntington (Ind.) (21) 8-1 Concordia (Calif.) (13) d. Bethany (Kan.) (20) 5-3 Lindsey Wilson (14) d. Lewis-Clark State (19) 6-3 Shorter (11) d. Hastings (22) 8-1 Union (Ky.) (10) d. Brescia (23) 9-0 William Carey (15) d. Olivet Nazarene (18) 6-3 Second Round — 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 18 Fresno Pacific (1) vs. St. Thomas (Fla.) (17) Xavier (8) vs. Vanguard (9) Azusa Pacific (5) vs. Graceland (12) Oklahoma Christian (4) vs. Concordia (Calif.) (13) Auburn Montgomery (3) vs. Lindsey Wilson (14) Westmont (6) vs. Shorter (11) Point Loma Nazarene (7) vs. Union (Ky.) (10) Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (2) vs. William Carey (15) Quarterfinals — 9 a.m. on Thursday, May 19 Semifinals — 9 a.m. on Friday, May 20 Championship — 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 21 Xavier at Nationals (2-2) May 12, 2009 (first round): Xavier 5, Oklahoma Christian 4 May 13, 2009 (second round): Auburn Montgomery 5, Xavier 0 May 18, 2010 (first round): Xavier 5, Tennessee Wesleyan 3 May 19, 2010 (second round): Fresno Pacific 5, Xavier 1

Vanguard, from Costa Mesa, Calif., reached the NAIA quarterfinals six of the last seven seasons and was a semifinalist in 2004 and 2000. The Lions tied for fifth place in the Golden State Athletic Conference and are one of six GSAC teams ranked among the final top 12.

Higher seeds won seven of eight first-round matches Tuesday. The exception was No 17 St. Thomas (Fla.), which defeated No. 16 Aquinas 5-4.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Xavier Gold Rush eighth in final NAIA coaches poll of the season

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana climbed one notch Monday to reach a program-record-tying No. 8 in the final NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 of the season.

The Gold Rush (13-9), idle since winning a qualifying tournament for the NAIA National Championship at Chattanooga, Tenn., on April 30, swapped places with Vanguard from last week's poll. Xavier won 6-3 at Vanguard on March 4.

Xavier first reached No. 8 in the March 8 poll and remained there for two additional rankings. XU's men were in the top 10 in five of the final six polls.

This is the first Xavier team to reach the top 10 in a final NAIA poll since women's basketball was No. 4 in 1997-98.

The Gold Rush are in the the top 25 for the 32nd consecutive time dating to April 4, 2007 — that's the fifth longest active streak among NAIA men's teams — and it's the 23rd straight time dating to April 30, 2008, that the Gold Rush are among the top 18. It's the sixth consecutive season that the XU men are among the top 25 in the final poll.

Xavier has qualified for the national tournament for the third consecutive season. The NAIA will announce seedings and pairings for the 24-team event by 5 p.m. Tuesday. The tournament will begin May 17 at Mobile, Ala.

Fresno Pacific received all the first-place votes and is No. 1 in the final poll for the second straight season.

Xavier's women, whose season ended April 30 with a 5-0 loss to Milligan in the semifinals of the qualifying tournament, are out of the top 25 for the fifth consecutive time after 44 straight appearances. The Gold Nuggets collected three points, two more than last week, to tie for 33rd place.

In last season's final polls, Xavier's men were 16th, and the women were 19th. This is the first time since 2003 that the Gold Nuggets are not among the final top 25.

NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, May 8) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Fresno Pacific (10) 21-2 250 1 2 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 14-6 242 2 3 Auburn Montgomery 23-3 233 3 4 Oklahoma Christian 21-1 226 4 5 Azusa Pacific 15-6 218 5 6 Westmont 12-5 210 6 7 Point Loma Nazarene 15-7 200 7 8 Xavier 13-9 192 9 9 Vanguard 7-13 183 8 10 Union (Ky.) 17-5 177 10 11 Shorter 12-4 166 12 12 Concordia (Calif.) 8-14 163 11 13 Graceland 11-5 151 13 14 Lindsey Wilson 14-5 147 15 15 William Carey 12-9 143 14 16 Aquinas 24-3 136 16 17 St. Thomas (Fla.) 14-3 119 17 18 Olivet Nazarene 14-3 110 18 19 Lewis-Clark State 10-8 103 19 20 McKendree 20-3 99 20 21 Tennessee Wesleyan 11-6 90 21 22 SCAD Savannah 7-4 84 22 23 Martin Methodist 14-5 82 23 24 Bethany (Kan.) 21-3 61 25 25 Webber International 13-6 60 24 Others receiving votes: Lee (Tenn.) 47, Campbellsville 33, Cumberland 22, Lindenwood 20, Northwood (Fla.) 18, Northwestern Ohio 15, Biola 8, Our Lady of the Lake 7, Georgetown (Ky.) 1.

NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, May 8) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Fresno Pacific (11) 18-4 312 1 2 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (1) 20-3 302 2 3 Auburn Montgomery 23-5 288 3 4 Azusa Pacific 19-4 281 4 5 Oklahoma Christian 17-2 274 5 6 Point Loma Nazarene 19-3 265 6 7 Concordia (Calif.) 14-7 252 7 8 Brenau 10-7 241 8 9 SCAD Savannah 10-2 231 9 10 Vanguard 10-10 222 10 11 Southern Nazarene 14-6 208 11 12 William Carey 14-6 203 12 13 Lee (Tenn.) 9-5 192 13 14 Olivet Nazarene 19-1 176 14 15 Shorter 11-4 173 15 16 Lewis-Clark State 6-14 155 tie-16 17 Indiana Wesleyan 21-1 154 tie-16 18 Martin Methodist 15-5 145 18 19 Lindsey Wilson 13-5 139 19 20 Oklahoma Baptist 9-10 112 20 21 Campbellsville 14-5 111 22 22 St. Thomas (Fla.) 9-9 108 21 23 William Jewell 17-7 96 23 24 Webber International 12-8 79 24 25 Belhaven 14-3 68 25 Others receiving votes: Westmont 49, Milligan 49, McKendree 27, Indiana Southeast 26, Robert Morris (Chicago) 18, Cumberlands 16, Taylor 6, Xavier 3, Marian (Ind.) 3, Georgetown (Ky.) 1, Spring Hill 1, Northwood (Fla.) 1, Mobile 1, Northwestern Ohio 1.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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XU's Taylor selected NAIA and GCAC Player of the Week

Zach Taylor

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Zach Taylor was selected NAIA Men's Tennis Player of the Week for April 25-May 1. He also won a similar honor from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference.

Taylor, a junior from Monroe, La., and a graduate of St. Frederick High School and Ventura College, won 38 of 47 games to help the Gold Rush win both its dual matches in a qualifying tourna
ment at Chattanooga, Tenn., for the NAIA National Championship. Taylor and Hassan Abbas, the NAIA's 15th-ranked doubles team, defeated Martin Methodist's Vinicius Santos — the TranSouth Athletic Conference Player of the Year — and Juan Suarez 8-0 in the championship dual, and Taylor put the Gold Rush ahead to stay with his 6-1, 6-3 victory against Renato Castro.

"Our men had never been in the top 10 or beaten a top-10 team before Zach started playing for us this year," said eighth-year XU Coach Alan Green. "He has been a difference-maker."

Taylor, 10-10 in singles and 15-7 in doubles this season, is the first Xavier athlete to win an NAIA national player-of-the-week award since Brittany Powell (women's basketball) did it for Jan. 18-24, 2010. This is the first season of the NAIA's weekly tennis awards. The GCAC award is Taylor's third this season.

XU's men, 13-9 and ranked ninth, will compete in the NAIA National Championship at Mobile, Ala., from May 17-21.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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XU Gold Rush back in NAIA top 10 after climbing two places

NEW ORLEANS — For the fourth time in five polls, Xavier University of Louisiana is among the top 10 in the NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25.

The Gold Rush (13-9) climbed two spots Tuesday to No. 9 after beating Bethel (Tenn.) 6-0 and Martin Methodist 5-2 to win an NAIA National Championship qualifying tournament at Chattanooga, Tenn. XU's men qualified for the national tournament for the third consecutive year.

Xavier was No. 8, a program record, for three consecutive polls beginning March 8.

The Gold Rush are in the the top 25 for the 31st consecutive time dating to April 4, 2007 — that's the fifth longest active streak among NAIA men's teams — and it's the 22nd straight time dating to April 30, 2008, that the Gold Rush are among the top 18.

NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, May 1) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Fresno Pacific (12) 21-2 312 1 2 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 14-6 302 2 3 Auburn Montgomery 23-3 291 3 4 Oklahoma Christian 21-1 279 5 5 Azusa Pacific 15-6 276 4 6 Westmont 12-5 262 6 7 Point Loma Nazarene 15-7 252 7 8 Vanguard 7-13 228 12 9 Xavier 13-9 225 11 10 Union (Ky.) 17-5 217 10 11 Concordia (Calif.) 8-14 207 8 12 Shorter 12-4 206 15 13 Graceland 11-5 193 13 14 William Carey 12-9 183 9 15 Lindsey Wilson 14-5 176 17 16 Aquinas 24-3 174 14 17 St. Thomas (Fla.) 14-3 157 16 18 Olivet Nazarene 14-3 132 19 19 Lewis-Clark State 10-8 127 18 20 McKendree 20-3 122 tie-20 21 Tennessee Wesleyan 11-6 115 22 22 SCAD Savannah 7-4 109 tie-20 23 Martin Methodist 14-5 90 23 24 Webber International 13-6 79 24 25 Bethany (Kan.) 19-3 69 tie-25 Others receiving votes: Lee (Tenn.) 59; Campbellsville 41, Northwood (Fla.) 23, Huntington (Ind.) 23, Cumberland 22, Lindenwood 19, Northwestern Ohio 13, Walsh 6, Our Lady of the Lake 5, Georgetown (Ky.) 1, Biola 1.

NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, May 1) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Fresno Pacific (10) 18-4 281 1 2 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (1) 20-3 272 2 3 Auburn Montgomery 23-5 260 4 4 Azusa Pacific 19-4 253 6 5 Oklahoma Christian 17-2 244 5 6 Point Loma Nazarene 18-3 242 3 7 Concordia (Calif.) 14-7 226 7 8 Brenau 10-7 218 8 9 SCAD Savannah 10-2 207 9 10 Vanguard 10-10 201 10 11 Southern Nazarene 14-6 184 12 12 William Carey 14-6 182 13 13 Lee (Tenn.) 9-5 171 16 14 Olivet Nazarene 19-1 160 14 15 Shorter 11-4 156 11 16-tie Indiana Wesleyan 21-1 139 17 16-tie Lewis-Clark State 6-14 139 21 18 Martin Methodist 15-5 127 18 19 Lindsey Wilson 13-5 121 23 20 Oklahoma Baptist 9-10 110 15 21 St. Thomas (Fla.) 9-9 102 19 22 Campbellsville 14-5 96 20 23 William Jewell 17-7 90 22 24 Webber International 12-9 68 24 25 Belhaven 14-3 60 25 Others receiving votes: Westmont 42, Milligan 41, Cumberlands 27, Robert Morris (Chicago) 23, Indiana Southeast 19, McKendree 17, Taylor 5, The Master's 3, Northwood (Fla.) 3, Xavier 1, Mobile 1, Georgetown (Ky.) 1, Spring Hill 1,; Marian (Ind.) 1.

Lee (Tenn.) dropped out of the top 25 after being tied for 25th in the previous poll. That snapped the Flames' streak of 47 consecutive appearances in the top 25. There are no new teams in this week's top 25, and Xavier was one of seven teams to climb. The top three teams are the same as the previous poll, with Fresno Pacific ranked first for the 14th consecutive time. Martin Methodist, 0-2 this season against Xavier, remained 23rd.

This was the seventh of eight polls this season. The final rankings will be announced Sunday.

The Gold Rush will play May 17 in the first round or May 18 in the second round of the NAIA National Championship at Mobile, Ala.

Xavier's women, whose season ended Saturday with a 5-0 loss to Milligan in the semifinals of the qualifying tournament, are out of the top 25 for the fourth consecutive time. The Gold Nuggets collected one point to tie for 35th place.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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