Catawba Voted as Preseason Favorites in Women' Tennis
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The Catawba Indians have been picked as the 2026 South Atlantic Conference women's tennis preseason favorite, the league office announced today. Catawba received 10 first-place votes from the conference's head women's tennis coaches and 131 total points.
The Indians won 24 straight matches to open the campaign a season ago and advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament and were ranked No. 6 nationally. They won their second consecutive SAC Tournament title and will be looking for a 3-peat this season.
Wingate was voted in at No. 2 with two first-place votes and 122 total points, while Carson-Newman earned the No. 3 spot with 108 points.
Newberry placed fourth in the poll with 98 points, followed by Coker at No. 5 with 84 points. Anderson was selected sixth with 79 points, while Lincoln Memorial earned the No. 7 position with 77 points.
Lenoir-Rhyne came in at No. 8 with 70 points, while UVA Wise and Tusculum tied for ninth, each collecting 48 points. Emory & Henry was voted 11th with 34 points, followed by Mars Hill rounding out the poll at 12th with 25 points.
First serve for the 2026 women's tennis season will take place in early February. For a full schedule of matches, visit www.thesac.com.
2026 SAC Women's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll
| Rank | School (First Place Votes) | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Catawba (10) | 131 |
| 2 | Wingate (2) | 122 |
| 3 | Carson-Newman | 108 |
| 4 | Newberry | 98 |
| 5 | Coker | 84 |
| 6 | Anderson | 79 |
| 7 | Lincoln Memorial | 77 |
| 8 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 70 |
| 9t | UVA Wise | 48 |
| 9t | Tusculum | 48 |
| 11 | Emory & Henry | 34 |
| 12 | Mars Hill | 25 |
2026 SAC Women's Tennis Preseason Players to Watch
Anderson: Gigi Sompayrac, Alexandria Braithwaite, Ensley Collins
Catawba: Ami Miya, Sofia Antolini, Hanna Bougouffa
Carson-Newman: Maria del Mar Sarda Marti, Kira Baacke, Hala Awad
Coker: Ilona Hernandez-Sanchez, Salome Sierra, Noelle D'Angelillo
Emory & Henry: Ellyson Kovacs, Tahnne Sesma, Olivia Pursley
Lenoir-Rhyne: Runa Muderrisoglu, Nellie Wahlberg, Mehetia Boosie
Lincoln Memorial: Rosalie Carrier-Dulac, Adriana Pellizzari, Alexandra Ortiz
Mars Hill: Charne Mulder, Shakti Mishra, Versha Yadav
Newberry: Aina Miralles, Yui Suzuki, Lina Sarhan
Tusculum: Emma Kotzmannova, Ylva Frafjord Landa, Ginevra Moreno Villa
UVA Wise: Kenzy Abdelaal, Constança Azinhaga, Andreea Onitoiu
Wingate: Fernanda Castillo, Claudia Vallejos, Anastasia Oktiabreva