The Lewis-Clark State College women’s tennis team begins the 2011 season the same place it ended the 2010 season as the Warriors were ranked No. 16 in the Preseason NAIA Tennis Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, the NAIA announced on Tuesday.
The Warriors were No. 16 in last season’s final poll after qualifying for the NAIA national tournament for the 14th straight season.
LCSC will have a much tougher task this season in trying to make it 15 straight because it has been put into a new qualifying group that combines 11 teams from the Frontier, Cascade, Red River Athletic, and Midlands Collegiate Athletic conferences. Among the teams in that qualifying group are No. 5 Oklahoma Christian, No. 12 Southern Nazarene, and No. 19 Oklahoma Baptist. Only the eventual champion from the qualifying group tournament earns an automatic berth to nationals while the remaining teams have to hope for one of nine at-large berths.
The Warriors also have No. 3 Point Loma Nazarene, No. 4 Vanguard, No. 8 Azusa Pacific, and Biola, which received votes, on the schedule this season during a road trip to California in mid-March.
The Warrior women currently are 0-4 on the season, but all four losses have come against NCAA Division I schools – Washington State, Seattle University, Idaho, and Eastern Washington.
The Warrior women are off until Feb. 12 when they play host to Whitworth at 11 a.m., and then the College of Idaho a day later at 9 a.m.
Defending national champion Fresno Pacific (Calif.) has been tabbed No. 1 after it racked up nine first-place votes and 310 points. Second-ranked Auburn Montgomery (Ala.), who has an NAIA-leading 10 national crowns including six from 2004 – 09, grabbed the three remaining first-place votes and 304 points.
2011 Preseason Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll – Feb. 1
|
RANK
|
LAST WEEK ^
|
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES)
|
TOTAL POINTS
|
|
1
|
2
|
Fresno Pacific University (Calif.) (9)
|
310
|
|
2
|
1
|
Auburn University Montgomery (Ala.) (3)
|
304
|
|
3
|
3
|
Point Loma Nazarene University (Calif.)
|
291
|
|
4
|
5
|
Vanguard University (Calif.)
|
271
|
|
5
|
9
|
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Fla.)
|
262
|
|
5
|
8
|
Oklahoma Christian University
|
262
|
|
7
|
6
|
Brenau University (Ga.)
|
257
|
|
8
|
7
|
Azusa Pacific University (Calif.)
|
254
|
|
9
|
12
|
SCAD Savannah (Ga.)
|
234
|
|
10
|
4
|
Concordia University (Calif.)
|
219
|
|
11
|
11
|
Shorter University (Ga.)
|
211
|
|
12
|
13
|
Southern Nazarene University (Okla.)
|
205
|
|
13
|
14
|
Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.)
|
187
|
|
14
|
RV
|
Saint Thomas University (Fla.)
|
185
|
|
15
|
17
|
Indiana Wesleyan University
|
158
|
|
16
|
16
|
Lewis-Clark State College (Idaho)
|
155
|
|
17
|
18
|
Lee University (Tenn.)
|
153
|
|
18
|
10
|
Northwood University (Fla.)
|
144
|
|
19
|
15
|
Oklahoma Baptist University
|
126
|
|
20
|
RV
|
Tennessee Wesleyan College
|
122
|
|
21
|
20
|
William Carey University (Miss.)
|
113
|
|
22
|
19
|
Xavier University (La.)
|
88
|
|
23
|
NR
|
William Jewell College (Mo.)
|
82
|
|
24
|
23
|
Westmont College (Calif.)
|
81
|
|
25
|
22
|
Georgetown College (Ky.)
|
76
|
Others receiving votes: Mobile (Ala.) 59; Webber International (Fla.) 57; Cumberland (Tenn.) 38; Biola (Calif.) 34; Spring Hill (Ala.) 32; Indiana Southeast 30; Taylor (Ind.) 5; Walsh (Ohio) 4; Bethel (Kan.) 1; Cumberlands (Ky.) 1; Southeastern (Fla.) 1; Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) 1; Ave Maria (Fla.) 1
^Final rating from the 2010 regular season Top 25 (May 4, 2010)
