ROCK HILL, S.C. - The South Atlantic Conference (SAC) has released their preseason men's and women's tennis rankings, as voted on by the conference coaches. The men have been selected to finish fifth while the women were picked eighth. 

In his two seasons at the helm, Sam Clark has guided both the men's and women's programs to back-to-back SAC Tournament appearances and helped both the men's and women's teams earn regional and national rankings. Last season the men finished with a record of 11-8 (7-5 SAC) while the women were 9-10 (6-6 SAC).

 Vadym Rogynskyi, Vitor Ferreira, and Zeno Godi were named Players to Watch on the men's side. The women's Players to Watch were Runa Muderrisoglu, Nellie Wahlberg, and Mehetia Boosie. 

Men's Tennis will open their season this weekend with exhibitions at UNC Asheville and Davidsion before hosting Francis Marion on Saturday, February 14, in their season opener. The women join the men with their season opener taking place against Francis Marion on the 14th. Both teams open SAC play at Anderson on Wednesday, February 25, and they host Carson-Newman on Saturday, February 28, in their SAC home opener. 

All home tennis matches take place at the YMCA of Catawba Valley, just up the road from Lenoir-Rhyne's campus. 

2026 SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TENNIS PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Catawba - 131 points (10 first-place votes)
2. Wingate - 122 points (2 first-place votes)
3. Carson-Newman - 108 points
4. Newberry - 98 points
5. Coker - 84 points
6. Anderson - 79 points
7. Lincoln Memorial - 77 points
8. Lenoir-Rhyne - 70 points
T9. UVA Wise - 48 points
T9. Tusculum - 48 points
11. Emory & Henry - 34 points
12. Mars Hill - 25 points 

2026 SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE MEN'S TENNIS PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Catawba - 130 points (9 first-place votes)
2. Wingate - 124 points (3 first-place votes)
3. Lincoln Memorial - 110 points
4. Carson-Newman - 96 points
5. Lenoir-Rhyne - 85 points
T6. Tusculum - 75 points
T6. Anderson - 75 points
8. Coker - 67 points
9. UVA Wise - 61 points
10. Newberry - 46 points
11. Mars Hill - 31 points
12. Emory & Henry - 24 points

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

2026 SAC Men's Tennis Preseason Players to Watch
Anderson: Mathis Collignon, Vicent Fenollar, Wynn Shioi
Catawba: Agustin Mastri, Santiago Passoni, Luca Bergonzi 
Carson-Newman: Louis Keenan, Darko Kolevski, Leonard Baecker
Coker: Marcio Silve, Lukas Melone, Eduardo Pilia
Emory & Henry: Keenan Glago, Nathan Spurling, Bangalie Turay
Lenoir-Rhyne: Vadym Rogynskyi, Vitor Ferreira, Zeno Godi
Lincoln Memorial: Radu Florea , Alexandru Rares Giurea , Ethan Hirons 
Mars Hill: Paul-Antoine Pelzer, Diell Mehmedi, Riccardo Moretti
Newberry: Senthen Reddy, Daniel Watson, Noel Bartz
Tusculum: Will Gee, Angus Howard, Rens Verhaar
UVA Wise: Mustafa Raja, Yi-Hsuan Chen, Miguel De Rueda
Wingate: Carlo Rosellini , Ruben LeBron, Rod De La Torre