January 28, 2022

Eagles tabbed fourth in SAC preseason poll

ROCK HILL, S.C. – As the spring 2022 season gets closer, Carson-Newman women's tennis has been tabbed fourth in the South Atlantic Conference preseason poll, as announced by the league Friday.

The Eagles were able to close out 2020-21 with their fourth straight appearance in the SAC Tournament, as C-N clinched their first semifinals berth under head coach Jim Frederick. Prior to last season's result, the Eagles had lost in the SAC quarterfinals all three previous instances.

"We had an amazing season and I'm proud of this team," graduate student Hannah Price said. "I know both this team along with the men's side will continue growing and get stronger in the years to come."

Finishing with 121 votes, C-N sees their highest preseason ranking under head coach Jim Frederick after being projected eighth prior to the start of last season. In 2020-21, the Eagles would make another appearance in the SAC Tournament after finishing 8-4 and as one of the top four teams in the SAC.

A trio of schools earned first-place votes in the preseason poll with Wingate selected first, racking up 11 first-place votes and a total of 143 points. The Bulldogs held an unblemished 11-0 record last season to win the SAC regular-season title. Queens checks in at second place with one first-place votes and 135 total points as voted on by coaches.

The only other SAC school to receive first-places votes was Newberry, who checks in at third with one first-place nominations and a total of 124 points. Following C-N and rounding out the preseason top-five, Lenoir-Rhyne comes in at number five with a total of 109 points.

"The girls this year has an enormous amount of talent from top to bottom," head coach Jim Frederick said. "The talent for the girls should make them one of the top teams in the SAC."

Along with the placement of eighth in the preseason poll, Carson-Newman women's tennis had a trio of athletes named to preseason first-teams in both singles and doubles. Senior Ana Carla Resende (Minas Gerais, Brazil) gained her third straight preseason honors while Natasha Forrest (Jersey, United Kingdom) and Hannah Price (Knoxville, Tenn.) have been tabbed with preseason first-team doubles honors.

Resende comes off a strong fall season where she only dropped two matches, both to nationally ranked opponents, and a semifinals appearance in the latest ITA Cup. Due to her efforts on the courts, Resende was tabbed as the number eight women's singles player in all DII women's tennis, including holding the number two spot for the Southeast region.

For Price and Forrest, they look to build upon their hot start to this year and repeat their success from last season. The duo is coming off a 2020-21 season where they tied the school record for most single-season wins while going 10-2 against SAC opponents.

The Eagles serve up the 2021 season on Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. against Union (Ky.) at the Knoxville Racquet Club.

-CN -

2022 Women's Tennis Preseason Poll

Rank	School (First Place Votes)	Points
1	Wingate (11)	143
2	Queens (1)	135
3	Newberry (1)	124
4	Carson-Newman	121
5	Lenoir-Rhyne	109
6	Tusculum	96
7	Anderson	95
8	Limestone	83
9	Lincoln Memorial	76
10	Catawba	60
11	Mars Hill	49
12	Coker	43
13	UVA Wise	36