ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Emory & Henry University Men's Tennis Team has been selected to finish 11th in the South Atlantic Conference this season, conference officials announced Wednesday. The poll is voted on by the league's head coaches.
RELATED – SAC Preseason Poll & Preseason Players to Watch
E&H returns six players from last year's squad and has added one freshman and a transfer that look to help the Wasps take the next step from last year's record of 3-13 overall and 2-10 in the SAC.
Defending SAC Regular Season and Tournament Champion Catawba College is first in the poll after receiving 10 of a possible 12 first-place votes. Wingate University sits in second with the other two first-place nods while Carson-Newman University is in third place. Newberry College is the fourth-place selection and Coker University is fifth.
Anderson (S.C.) University has been chosen sixth, with Lincoln Memorial University, Lenoir-Rhyne University and UVA Wise residing in the seventh and eighth spots respectively. UVA Wise and Tusculum University are tied for ninth, with E&H sitting in 11th and Mars Hill University rounding out the poll.
Additionally, the SAC has announced its Players to Watch with junior Olivia Pursley (Hendersonville, N.C.), sophomore Ellyson Kovacs (Bristol, Tenn.) and sophomore Tahnne Sesma (Zumaia, SPAIN) earning the honor for the Wasps.
The Wasps get their 2026 spring schedule underway on Saturday, February 14 at home at the Richardson Tennis Courts against the Yellow Jackets of West Virginia State University.
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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