Women’s Tennis earns 3rd place nod in SAC Preseason Poll
Following a finish in the SAC Quarterfinals last season, coaches and officials around the conference voted C-N to the highest preseason poll finish in their history.
VIDEO: Nate Gangelhoff breaks down preseason poll
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Following a finish in the SAC Quarterfinals last season, coaches and officials around the conference voted C-N to the highest preseason poll finish in their history.
Head coach Nate Gangelhoff's women's team had an exceptional season in 2025 and looks to improve in 2026. The Eagles were 9-3 in the SAC last year, but fell in a heartbreaking match to Coker in the first round of the SAC tournament.
I think it provides definitely just a reminder that like, yeah, we were a talented team last year. But at the conference tournament, anything can happen. Momentum could swing, win one way or the other," said Gangelhoff.
Despite that, C-N retains much of its talent from the 2025 season, including the all-conference selection in Maria del Mar Sarda Marti, lineup staple and new captain Hala Awad, plus a few young players returning with a year of experience, like Kira Baacke.
Carson-Newman's women's tennis team has never finished higher than 4th in the preseason conference standings. The voting is based upon a combination of last year's finish and potential offseason talent accrued for each team.
"To be in the top three of our conference, it's always a good starting off point. But I'm not going to hold too much weight or confidence in that, just because it's a preseason ranking. It's just more of a reflection of maybe how teams saw us in the fall, maybe how we finished last spring as well," said Gangelhoff. "But, I care more about the postseason rankings.
The Eagles were 13-6 overall last season and 10-5 in region play. C-N was 10th in last season's NCAA Southeast region, but after the fall, makes a great case for a shot at the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2009. The ITA Fall Regionals were a great success for the women, with Kira Baacke and Maria de Mar Sarda Marti winning the B-Flight doubles.
"These girls are just super passionate about each other, about the team and they're ready to get better. They're ready to go after it this season," Gangelhoff said.
#9 Catawba and #23 Wingate sit above C-N in the preseason poll. Catawba earned 10 first-place nods from conference voters while Wingate collected two. C-N earned a total of 108 points in the voting, while the Bulldogs had 122.
Just behind the Eagles in the standings was Newberry with 98 points. At the end of the regular season, Newberry beat the Eagles in South Carolina. This season, C-N will have a flip the script on their home court.
Coker sits at 5th in the voting followed by Anderson at 6th, Lincoln Memorial at 7th and Lenoir-Rhyne at 8th. UVA Wise and Tusuclum tied for 9th with 48 points, and Emory and Henry and Mars Hill round out the 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
The Eagles first serve takes place February 7th against Cumberland (Ky.). For updates, follow @CN_Eagles on X and Instagram, or Carson-Newman Athletics on Facebook. Full coverage is also available at cneagles.com.
