2015 NAIA Women?s Tennis Coaches? Top 25 Poll ? March 31
By Mike DeVader, Communications and Sports Information Intern
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – By collecting 374 total points and 13-of-14 first-place votes, Georgia Gwinnett remains the team everyone else is looking up at in the 2015 NAIA Women’s Tennis Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday.
Today’s ranking at the top marks the ninth time in women’s tennis history the Grizzlies are atop the poll.
Georgia Gwinnett (6-4) continues to grind its way to a chance of repeating as national champions after claiming its first national championship a season ago over Embry-Riddle (Fla.), 5-4, in the NAIA Women’s Tennis National Championship final on May 17, 2014.
The Grizzlies have won four-consecutive events after dropping four-straight matches from Feb. 26 - March 11. On March 25, the No. 1 school took care of business against NCAA Division II Clayton State (Ga.), 8-1. Up next on the docket for Georgia Gwinnett is NCAA Division II Hawaii-Pacific on April 3 in Pensacola, Fla.
Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) (322 points and the final first-place vote) jumped up one position to No. 2 this week. The 2014 national runner-up – Embry-Riddle – dropped one slot to third with 354 points. The rest of the top five remains the same from the March 17 release, and includes fourth-ranked Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (335 points) and No. 5 Brenau (Ga.) (328 points).
No. 12 Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) made the first movement of any school outside the top five within the rating – rising from No. 16. Northwestern Ohio – No. 18 – leaped the furthest of any program (six positions), while No. 25 Indiana Wesleyan fell from No. 14.
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and the Association of Independent Institutions. For the entire 2015 NAIA Women’s Tennis Coaches’ Top 25 Poll schedule, click here.
The fifth regular-season edition of the Top 25 Poll will be released April 14.
Notes: (All information as of the 2000 season) After winning its first-ever national championship in 2014, Georgia Gwinnett earned its ninth all-time No. 1 ranking this week … No. 2 Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) leads all NAIA programs with 72 all-time No. 1 rankings… The Warhawks are followed by Brenau (Ga.) with 12, former-member Fresno Pacific (Calif.) with eight and Xavier (La.) with five… Auburn Montgomery topped each poll from Feb. 11, 2004, to May 1, 2010, a span of 47-straight No. 1 rankings, an NAIA record… The next closest streak is just eight by Fresno Pacific, which garnered the top selection in all eight polls in 2011… Auburn Montgomery has been ranked among the top five since April 2, 2003… Three teams held the No. 1 ranking in 2014: Auburn Montgomery, Georgia Gwinnett and Xavier.
2015 NAIA Women’s Tennis Coaches’ Top 25 Poll (March 31)
| RANK | LAST WEEK^ | SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) | 2014-15 RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | Georgia Gwinnett (13) | 6-4 | 374 |
| 2 | 3 | Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) (1) | 14-4 | 358 |
| 3 | 2 | Embry-Riddle (Fla.) | 10-3 | 354 |
| 4 | 4 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 6-6 | 335 |
| 5 | 5 | Brenau (Ga.) | 10-3 | 328 |
| 6 | 6 | SCAD Savannah (Ga.) | 6-4 | 311 |
| 7 | 7 | Xavier (La.) | 13-8 | 305 |
| 8 | 8 | Northwood (Fla.) | 7-4 | 290 |
| 9 | 9 | Arizona Christian | 19-1 | 274 |
| 10 | 10 | Oklahoma Baptist | 6-4 | 267 |
| 11 | 11 | Westmont (Calif.) | 9-8 | 254 |
| 12 | 16 | Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) | 12-2 | 224 |
| 13 | 13 | Graceland (Iowa) | 3-2 | 223 |
| 14 | 12 | Concordia (Calif.) | 7-10 | 221 |
| 15 | 18 | Davenport (Mich.) | 8-7 | 191 |
| 16 | 20 | William Carey (Miss.) | 10-6 | 170 |
| 17 | 15 | Vanguard (Calif.) | 5-11 | 165 |
| 18 | 24 | Northwestern Ohio | 8-6 | 160 |
| 19 | 21 | Cumberland (Tenn.) | 6-6 | 151 |
| 20 | 22 | Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) | 8-4 | 146 |
| 21 | 19 | Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | 3-9 | 143 |
| 22 | 17 | Coastal Georgia | 8-5 | 135 |
| 23 | 23 | Southeastern (Fla.) | 10-3 | 111 |
| 24 | 25 | Evangel (Mo.) | 3-3 | 105 |
| 25 | 14 | Indiana Wesleyan | 15-5 | 96 |
Others Receiving Votes: Aquinas (Mich.) 76; Campbellsville (Ky.) 52; Reinhardt (Ga.) 39;Missouri Valley 29; St. Thomas (Fla.) 25; Marian (Ind.) 16; LSU Alexandria 9; Milligan (Tenn.) 9; Bethel (Kan.) 7; Cumberlands (Ky.) 5; Ashford (Iowa) 5; Dalton State (Ga.) 3.
^ 2015 NAIA Women’s Tennis Coaches’ Top 25 Poll (March 17)
