Asbury (Ky.) chosen as favorite in RSC Men's Tennis Coaches' Poll this year
NEW ALBANY, Ind. -- Asbury (Ky.) University was chosen as the favorite in the River States Conference Men's Tennis Coaches' Poll this year. The Eagles, who are ranked No. 17 in the NAIA Top 25, received all five of a possible five first-place votes in the polling of the six RSC men's tennis head coaches.
Asbury won the RSC Tournament last year and advanced to the second round of the NAIA National Championship. The Eagles have a strong team once again, and they were the top team at the RSC Individual Tournament held this past fall on their home court. At that event, Asbury won all six singles draws and all three doubles draws.
Asbury received the highest possible total of 25 points in the RSC poll. IU Southeast was next with 21 points as the consensus No. 2 team in the conference. The Grenadiers received the remaining first-place vote, and they were RSC Tournament finalists last year and tournament champions the year before.
IU East came in third in the conference poll with 17 points. The Red Wolves took second place in the regular-season standings last year and reached the RSC semifinals. Midway (Ky.) University, which is a new team this year, was picked fourth in the poll with 13 points. Ohio Christian University (8 points) and Alice Lloyd (Ky.) College (6) rounded out the poll.
Conference play in RSC men's tennis begins later this month with the weekend of March 16 marking the start of that. The 2018 RSC Men's Tennis Tournament will be held April 27-28 in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the champion earning an automatic bid to the NAIA Men's Tennis National Championship.
2018 RIVER STATES CONFERENCE MEN'S TENNIS COACHES' POLL
(First-Place Votes in Parenthesis)
| School | Votes |
| 1. Asbury (Ky.) (5) | 25 |
| 2. IU Southeast (1) | 21 |
| 3. IU East | 17 |
| 4. Midway (Ky.) | 13 |
| 5. Ohio Christian | 8 |
| 6. Alice Lloyd (Ky.) | 6 |