ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The Tusculum University women's tennis team is picked for a tie for ninth in the South Atlantic Conference preseason coaches poll, released Wednesday.
The Pioneers finished 4-14 overall and 3-9 in the SAC last season, with Wyatt Pauley taking over as head coach after successful stints at Quincy and Kutztown.
Tusculum has three players on the Preseason Players to Watch list for the conference, senior Ylva Frafjord Landa and freshmen Emma Kotzmannova and Ginevra Moreno Villa.
Landa is a four-year starter for the Pioneers with a career record of 38-27 in aingles and 40-28 mark in doubles play. The Sandnes, Norway native has played at all six singles flights in her Tusculum career, primarily at flights one and two last season.
Kotzmannova is a native of Sumperk, Czechia and was 1=2 in singles during the fall, while Moreno Villa (Castelldefels, Spain) won both of her singles matches during fall competition.
Catawba received 10 first-place votes to take the top spot in the preseason poll, with the other two first-place votes to second-place Wingate. Carson-Newman, Newberry, Coker and Anderson are the rest of the top half of the league.
Lincoln Memorial is picked seventh in the preseason poll, with Lenoir-Rhyne in eighth and Tusculum tied for ninth with UVA Wise. Emory & Henry is 11th, with Mars Hill in 12th.
The Pioneers play their first regular-season match of the spring at Tuskegee on Friday, Jan. 30 beginning at 1 p.m. Central time.
2026 SAC Women's Tennis Preseason Coaches Poll
|
Rank |
School (First-Place Votes) |
Pts. |
|
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 |
|
T9. |
TUSCULUM |
48 |
|
T9. |
UVA Wise |
48 |
|
11. |
Emory & Henry |
34 |
|
12. |
Mars Hill |
25 |
2026 SAC Women's Tennis Preseason Players to Watch
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
