Tennis Earns NAIA #1 Ranking!
By Travis Rae, NAIA Communications & Sports Information Intern
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -Brenau (Ga.) sits atop the third edition of the 2013 NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25, the national office announced Tuesday. The Golden Tigers received all 12 first-place votes for 312 points to secure the top spot. This is the third different Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) team to hold the No. 1 ranking this season.
Brenau earned its first No. 1 ranking since Feb. 19, 2003, after defeating then-No. 1 William Carey (Miss.), 8-1, on March 10. The Golden Tigers followed the victory over William Carey with a 9-0 win over Emmanuel (Ga.) on March 15.
Falling one spot to No. 2 is William Carey with 300 points. The Lady Crusaders defeated Loyola (La.), 9-0, in a SSAC match on March 8 before falling to Brenau two days later. Auburn Montgomery falls to No. 3 this week, its lowest ranking since May 9, 2011. The Warhawks defeated three ranked teams, which included then-No. 13 Campbellsville (Ky.) (6-3), then-No. 22 Cumberland (Tenn.) (7-2) and then-No. 24 Belhaven (Miss.) (7-2) in the Auburn Montgomery's Spring Invitational. However, after those wins, the Warhawks proceeded to drop three-straight matches to NCAA Division II opponents Lynn (Fla.) (6-3), Barry (Fla.) (7-2) and Rollins (Fla.) (6-3).
Holding steady at No. 4 this week is SCAD Savannah (Ga.) with 285 points. The Bees defeated Ave Marie (Fla.), 8-1, on March 16 and one day later defeated then-No. 16 Northwood (Fla.), 5-4, extending its winning streak to three matches. Rounding out the top five is No. 5 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) with 271 points. The Blue Raiders defeated Pikeville (Ky.), 9-0, in a Mid-South Conference clash on March 10.
Five schools made the biggest jump in the poll this week as each school increased two positions.
No team fell out or joined the Top 25 this week.
Nine of the 13 conferences/independents/unaffiliated groupings are represented in the poll with the SSAC leading all leagues with six Top 25 members: Brenau, William Carey, Auburn Montgomery, No. 15 Coastal Georgia, No. 18 Lee (Tenn.) and No. 23 Belhaven (Miss.).
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences/independents/unaffiliated groupings. The fourth regular-season poll will be announced on April 2.
Notes: (All information as of the 2000 season) Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) has been ranked No. a total of 69 times... Brenau (Ga.) is next closest with 10 No. 1 rankings, followed by former-NAIA member Fresno Pacific (Calif.) with eight, former- NAIA member Shorter (Ga.) with three and Northwood (Fla.) with two ... Auburn Montgomery topped each poll from Feb. 11, 2004, to May 1, 2010, a span of 47-straight No. 1 rankings, which is an NAIA record ... The next closest streak is just eight by Fresno Pacific, which garnered the top selection in all eight polls in 2011 ... Northwood gained its only two No. 1 rankings in school history in 2003 when it went on to win the national championship ... Auburn Montgomery has been ranked in the top five since, Feb. 11, 2004... The last time a non Southern State Athletic Conference School was No. 1, was in 2011 when former-NAIA member Fresno Pacific (Calif.) claimed the No. 1 ranking all season.
2013 Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 - No. 3
RANK | LAST TIME | SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) | RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
1 | 3 | Brenau (Ga.) (12) | 8-1 | 312 |
2 | 1 | William Carey (Miss.) | 4-4 | 300 |
3 | 2 | Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) | 7-5 | 290 |
4 | 4 | SCAD Savannah (Ga.) | 3-2 | 285 |
5 | 5 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 4-2 | 271 |
6 | 6 | Westmont (Calif.) | 11-1 | 261 |
7 | 7 | Embry-Riddle (Fla.) | 5-6 | 252 |
8 | 10 | Xavier (La.) | 8-6 | 238 |
9 | 8 | Concordia (Calif.) | 6-6 | 236 |
10 | 9 | Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | 3-4 | 224 |
11 | 11 | Vanguard (Calif.) | 7-10 | 212 |
12 | 12 | Indiana Wesleyan | 15-0 | 198 |
13 | 14 | Oklahoma Baptist | 5-4 | 188 |
14 | 16 | Northwood (Fla.) | 6-1 | 177 |
15 | 16 | Coastal Georgia | 3-6 | 176 |
16 | 13 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 2-5 | 158 |
17 | 15 | Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) | 5-5 | 150 |
18 | 18 | Lee (Tenn.) | 2-2 | 138 |
19 | 21 | St. Thomas (Fla.) | 4-4 | 137 |
20 | 22 | Cumberland (Tenn.) | 2-3 | 117 |
21 | 19 | Marian (Ind.) | 14-4 | 116 |
22 | 23 | Nebraska Wesleyan | 1-4 | 82 |
23 | 20 | Robert Morris (Ill.) | 0-1 | 76 |
23 | 24 | Belhaven (Miss.) | 4-3 | 76 |
25 | 25 | Milligan (Tenn.) | 8-1 | 74 |
Others receiving votes: Southeastern (Fla.) 68; Davenport (Mich.) 60; Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 30; Bethel (Kan.) 25; Ashford (Iowa) 19; Georgetown (Ky.) 13; Aquinas (Mich.) 12; Indiana Southeast 8; Evangel (Mo.) 8; Graceland (Iowa) 5; Hope International (Calif.) 3; SCAD Atlanta (Ga.) 3