The Lewis-Clark State College women’s tennis team remained at No. 14 and the men’s team climbed five spots to No. 19 in this week’s NAIA Tennis Coaches’ Top 25 polls, released by the national office on Tuesday. The rankings mean that the women’s chance of earning an at-large berth to nationals is very likely, while the men’s chance remains very unlikely.
The NAIA national tournaments, which are held in Mobile, Ala., are 24-team single-elimination events. On both the men’s and women’s side, the teams in attendance will include 13 automatic qualifiers (the conference/grouping winners), host school the University of Mobile, and 10 at-large qualifiers.
The final polls will be released on May 7 and the highest ranking teams in those polls which did not already receive automatic berths will win the at-large bids.
The LCSC women earned 200 points in the poll and are in fine position to receive one of the at-large bids. This would be the program’s 18th trip to nationals.
Fresh off of finishing second at the NAIA qualifying tournament in Oklahoma City last week, the Warrior men earned 142 points after garnering just 74 points the week before. However, an at-large bid for them seems just out of reach.
There are a total of 11 teams above the Warrior men in the rankings that have not won an automatic berth. Of those teams, Bethany (Kan.) is the only team which still has a chance to receive an automatic bid, but even if it does, this would still leave 10 teams before LCSC in line for an at-large berth.
The only hope for the LCSC men’s squad is that something causes the final rankings to be shaken up in a pretty big way despite the fact that most teams, including the Warriors, will not play any matches between now and the next poll.
The Warrior men have made 12 straight appearances at nationals and 21 appearances overall.
WOMEN’S POLL
|
RANK
|
LAST
|
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES)
|
RECORD
|
TOTAL POINTS
|
|
1
|
1
|
Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) (13)
|
22-2
|
343
|
|
2
|
2
|
Fresno Pacific (Calif.)
|
20-4
|
332
|
|
3
|
3
|
Embry-Riddle (Fla.)
|
18-3
|
321
|
|
4
|
4
|
Oklahoma Christian
|
16-3
|
309
|
|
5
|
5
|
Azusa Pacific (Calif.)
|
17-3
|
300
|
|
6
|
6
|
Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.)
|
16-5
|
285
|
|
7
|
7
|
Brenau (Ga.)
|
13-5
|
280
|
|
8
|
8
|
Concordia (Calif.)
|
14-7
|
266
|
|
9
|
9
|
William Carey (Miss.)
|
14-9
|
252
|
|
10
|
10
|
Southern Nazarene (Okla.)
|
12-5
|
246
|
|
11
|
11
|
Shorter (Ga.)
|
20-8
|
227
|
|
11
|
12
|
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
|
15-3
|
227
|
|
13
|
13
|
SCAD Savannah (Ga.)
|
9-3
|
210
|
|
14
|
14
|
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho)
|
7-14
|
200
|
|
15
|
15
|
Vanguard (Calif.)
|
9-14
|
189
|
|
16
|
16
|
Indiana Wesleyan
|
22-2
|
181
|
|
17
|
18
|
Lee (Tenn.)
|
9-7
|
149
|
|
18
|
19
|
Campbellsville (Ky.)
|
13-6
|
148
|
|
19
|
RV
|
Xavier (La.)
|
7-21
|
147
|
|
20
|
20
|
Westmont (Calif.)
|
7-11
|
131
|
|
21
|
17
|
Martin Methodist (Tenn.)
|
11-4
|
129
|
|
22
|
21
|
Robert Morris (Ill.)
|
17-2
|
125
|
|
23
|
22
|
St. Thomas (Fla.)
|
5-4
|
102
|
|
24
|
23
|
Oklahoma Baptist
|
10-8
|
93
|
|
25
|
24
|
Marian (Ind.)
|
21-6
|
79
|
Others receiving votes: Northwestern Ohio 66; Davenport (Mich.) 45; Webber International (Fla.) 31; Belhaven (Miss.) 31; Nebraska Wesleyan 17; Bethel (Kan.) 15; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 11; Missouri Valley 6; Georgetown (Ky.) 5; Indiana Southeast 5; Milligan (Tenn.) 3.
MEN’S POLL
|
RANK
|
LAST
|
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES)
|
RECORD
|
TOTAL POINTS
|
|
1
|
1
|
Fresno Pacific (Calif.) (13)
|
22-1
|
343
|
|
2
|
2
|
Embry-Riddle (Fla.)
|
18-3
|
332
|
|
3
|
3
|
Oklahoma Christian
|
16-3
|
318
|
|
4
|
4
|
Azusa Pacific (Calif.)
|
19-2
|
312
|
|
5
|
5
|
Auburn Montgomery (Ala.)
|
16-7
|
297
|
|
6
|
9
|
Vanguard (Calif.)
|
14-10
|
291
|
|
7
|
8
|
Xavier (La.)
|
17-7
|
271
|
|
8
|
10
|
Westmont (Calif.)
|
11-9
|
268
|
|
9
|
6
|
Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.)
|
7-6
|
253
|
|
10
|
11
|
William Carey (Miss.)
|
16-4
|
244
|
|
11
|
7
|
Concordia (Calif.)
|
8-12
|
238
|
|
12
|
12
|
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
|
18-5
|
224
|
|
13
|
13
|
Aquinas (Mich.)
|
23-2
|
207
|
|
14
|
14
|
Bethany (Kan.)
|
18-3
|
200
|
|
15
|
15
|
Belhaven (Miss.)
|
15-3
|
188
|
|
16
|
16
|
Cumberland (Tenn.)
|
17-2
|
182
|
|
17
|
17
|
Warner (Fla.)
|
13-4
|
161
|
|
18
|
18
|
Campbellsville (Ky.)
|
14-6
|
155
|
|
19
|
24
|
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho)
|
11-9
|
142
|
|
20
|
22
|
Northwestern Ohio
|
18-6
|
132
|
|
21
|
25
|
Shorter (Ga.)
|
12-15
|
124
|
|
22
|
25
|
Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)
|
15-4
|
106
|
|
23
|
23
|
Webber International (Fla.)
|
15-7
|
95
|
|
24
|
21
|
Our Lady of the Lake (Texas)
|
7-7
|
92
|
|
25
|
20
|
Lee (Tenn.)
|
9-8
|
83
|
Others receiving votes: McPherson (Kan.) 59; Spring Arbor (Mich.) 53; Pikeville (Ky.) 50; Biola (Calif.) 41; Roberts Wesleyan (N.Y.) 17; Northwood (Fla.) 12; Bethel (Tenn.) 11; Taylor (Ind.) 3; Hastings (Neb.) 1; Asbury (Ky.) 1; Davenport (Mich.) 1; Mobile (Ala.) 1; Oklahoma Baptist 1; SCAD Atlanta (Ga.) 1.
