KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Three-time national champion Georgia Gwinnett once again claims the No. 1 ranking in the 2018 NAIA Women’s Tennis Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, announced Tuesday by the national office.
Top 25 Highlights (dating back to 2000)
• Georgia Gwinnett, which garnered 14 first-place votes and 374 total points this edition, has now held the top spot in 16-straight polls. The Grizzlies were last not ranked No. 1 on April 12, 2016.
• Georgia Gwinnett enters the week with a 9-1 record, including six wins against teams that were ranked at that time. The Grizzlies lone loss came against then-NCAA Division II No. 1 Lynn (Fla.), 5-3, on March 10.
• No. 5 Xavier (La.) is the only newcomer to the top five. The Gold Nuggets have won six-straight matches en route to a 9-7 record. Xavier hosts No. 14 SCAD Atlanta (Ga.) on Sunday.
• Three newcomers joined the Top 25 – No. 15 Westmont (Calif.), No. 22 Union (Ky.) and No. 24 Reinhardt (Ga.).
• No. 2 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) and No. 4 SCAD Savannah (Ga.)
• Former member Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) holds the most No. 1 rankings with 80. Georgia Gwinnett follows with 28.
• There are only three teams that have been able to hold the No. 1 ranking for an entire season: former member Auburn Montgomery (2012, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004), former member Fresno Pacific (Calif.) (2011) and Georgia Gwinnett (2017).
Poll Methodology
• The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences, Association of Independent Institutions and Unaffiliated Groups.
• The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second-place and so on through the list.
• The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) is removed and the team’s ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the teams appear on.
• Teams that receive only one point on the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”
• The frequency of polls occurs bi-weekly. This policy was approved by the National Administrative Council (NAC) for the 2017-18 academic season. This change will allow raters the opportunity to consider a larger body of work in between rating periods.
• For the complete rating calendar, CLICK HERE.
2018 NAIA Women’s Tennis Top 25 Poll – No. 3 (March 13, 2018)
| RANK | PRVS | SCHOOL (1st-Place Votes) | Record | Total Points |
| 1 | 1 | Georgia Gwinnett (14) | 9-1 | 374 |
| 2 | 2 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 2-1 | 357 |
| 3 | 3 | Keiser (Fla.) | 13-1 | 355 |
| 4 | 4 | SCAD Savannah (Ga.) | 6-1 | 338 |
| 5 | 10 | Xavier (La.) | 9-7 | 320 |
| 6 | 6 | William Carey (Miss.) | 6-1 | 313 |
| 7 | 7 | University of Northwestern Ohio | 4-2 | 302 |
| 8 | 9 | William Woods (Mo.) | 6-3 | 280 |
| 9 | 5 | Indiana Wesleyan | 23-1 | 276 |
| 10 | 12 | Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) | 1-1 | 270 |
| 11 | 11 | LSU Alexandria (La.) | 4-1 | 260 |
| 12 | 8 | San Diego Christian (Calif.) | 4-4 | 252 |
| 13 | 14 | Middle Georgia State | 6-4 | 222 |
| 14 | 15 | SCAD Atlanta (Ga.) | 3-3 | 211 |
| 15 | RV | Westmont (Calif.) | 4-5 | 210 |
| 16 | 18 | Brenau (Ga.) | 3-5 | 186 |
| 17 | 16 | Campbellsville (Ky.) | 8-0 | 182 |
| 18 | 13 | Arizona Christian | 7-4 | 172 |
| 19 | 17 | Martin Methodist (Tenn.) | 3-5 | 158 |
| 20 | 19 | Cumberland (Tenn.) | 5-6 | 131 |
| 21 | 20 | Mobile (Ala.) | 5-4 | 127 |
| 22 | RV | Union (Ky.) | 5-2 | 123 |
| 23 | 21 | St. Thomas (Fla.) | 4-6 | 118 |
| 24 | RV | Reinhardt (Ga.) | 6-1 | 109 |
| 25 | 23 | Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) | 1-3 | 75 |
Others receiving votes: Georgetown (Ky.) 54; Tennessee Wesleyan 49; Coastal Georgia 48; Huntington (Ind.) 39; Southwestern (Kan.) 23; Marian (Ind.) 16; Loyola (La.) 13; Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 12; Cumberlands (Ky.) 4; Point (Ga.) 3; Asbury (Ky.) 3.
