ORLANDO, Fla. - The Sunshine State Conference has released the 2026 Women's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll with Florida Southern College selected as fifth among the 10th conference teams.
Barry University was tabbed as the favorite to win the conference, with 81 points and nine first-place votes. The next SSC teams in the poll included Nova Southeastern (71 points and the last remaining first-place vote. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (64 points), Lynn University (56 points), and Florida Southern finished with 48 points to close out the top five. Rollins College (42 points), Saint Leo University (37 points), University of Tampa (22 points), Palm Beach Atlantic University (15 points), followed by Eckerd (14 points).
The Moccasins were recently voted as No. 11 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Preseason Poll after finishing the 2025 season ranked No. 13. FSC had a great conference run in 2025, highlighted by a 5-4 SSC record and advancing to the SSC semifinal game, falling to No.1 Barry, finishing the season in third with a win against Embry-Riddle. In 2025, FSC went 17-6 overall, the best record since 2023.
Florida Southern returns a strong core of student-athletes who helped fuel last season's success, including
Kennedi Brown, who went 11-11 in the top doubles spot with alumni
Olivia Bryant, while
Emily Jennewein and
Ronja Scheuermann in number two doubles finished the year 14-6. The third doubles pair returned for another season as
Jolie Miller and
Annika Berrendorf went 14-5.
That foundation, along with the program's continued commitment to excellence on and off the court, has positioned the Mocs to be a factor on the national stage once again in 2026. In singles, the Mocs were led by veteran Bryant, but Jennewein, Scheuermann, and Berrendorf will continue their success on the court, along with new faces to the Mocs lineup.
The preseason recognition continues a trend of national respect for Florida Southern women's tennis, as the Moccasins have now finished in or near the top 12 in back-to-back seasons. With a target already on their backs, FSC will look to turn that respect into results when the spring slate begins.
Florida Southern opens the 2026 season later this spring, with the annual FSC Invite, which will be held at the Wynee Warden Tennis Center.
|
Women's Tennis Poll |
|
| Place |
Team |
Total |
| 1 |
Barry |
81 (9) |
| 2 |
Nova Southeastern |
71 (1) |
| 3 |
Embry-Riddle |
64 |
| 4 |
Lynn |
56 |
| 5 |
Florida Southern |
48 |
| 6 |
Rollins |
42 |
| 7 |
Saint Leo |
37 |
| 8 |
Tampa |
22 |
| 9 |
Palm Beach Atlantic |
15 |
| 10 |
Eckerd |
14 |
