ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The Tusculum University women's tennis team has been picked third in the South Atlantic Conference preseason coaches poll, the conference office announced Friday.

Tusculum earned three honorees on the preseason All-Conference team, as voted upon by the league's media relations offices. Sophomore Tabitha Howe was a first-team selection and sophomore Leonie Floeth was a third-team pick, while Howe and sophomore Elodie Baechler were first-team All-SAC in doubles.

The Pioneers finished fifth in the SAC with an 8-4 record and went 13-7 overall during the 2022 season, with head coach Matt Frost returning all six singles starters and two of the three doubles pairings from last year's squad.

Howe was a second-team All-SAC selection last season after going 12-9 in singles, including 8-4 in conference play. The native of Sevenoaks, England was 5-2 at flight two and 6-4 at flight three last year, and has a 14-14 career record entering this spring.

Floeth had a 15-14 overall singles record last season and was 6-6 in conference play, with a 5-3 record at flight three of singles. A native of Toenisvorst, Germany, Floeth had a 7-2 record in singles the fall to boost her career record to 22-16.

In doubles, Howe and Baechler teamed up to play at flight one of doubles as freshmen and finished with a 7-13 overall record, including a 3-9 mark in conference play. This fall, the pair played to a 1-1 record in tournament competition.

Wingate received 10 of 13 first-place votes in the preseason poll and secured the top spot with 139 points, with each of the next three teams in the survey earning one first-place vote apiece. Newberry (123 points) was second, with the Pioneers in third at 115 points and Anderson fourth at 108 points. Carson-Newman (103 points) is fifth, with Lenoir-Rhyne sixth at 90 points.

Limestone (76 points) took seventh in the poll, followed by Lincoln Memorial in eighth (71 points) and Catawba ninth with 56 points. Mars Hill is 10th with 52 points, with Coker (44 points), UVA Wise (20) and league newcomer Emory & Henry (17) rounding out the rankings.

Tusculum went 2-0 in the fall and will begin spring play on Thursday, Feb. 2 with an exhibition match at UNC Asheville. The Pioneers host Lee in their home opener on Wednesday, Feb. 8 and begin conference play on Thursday, Feb. 16 at Mars Hill. The regular season will end on Thursday, April 13 at Catawba.

2023 SAC Women's Tennis Preseason Poll

2023 SAC Women's Tennis Preseason All-Conference
First Team Doubles
Chloe Kosmrlj/Alex Lopez, Wingate
Elena Gunfaus/Saga Berggren, Wingate
Tabitha Howe/Elodie Baechler, Tusculum

Second Team Doubles
Anna Greer/Mariam Bayatyan, Anderson
Jessica Binzari & Sydnee Foster, Coker
Katie Robeson/Alex Braithwaite, Anderson

Third Team Doubles
Amanda Kadiri/Elana Mackey, Mars Hill
Angelina Krieg & Tamara Macias, Coker

First Team Singles
Zulay Castaneda, Newberry
Nastassia Chamoun, Newberry
Anna Greer, Anderson
Jessica Binzari, Coker
Tabitha Howe, Tusculum
Evgeniya Pugina, Lenoir-Rhyne

Second Team Singles
Elena Gunfaus, Wingate
Suzuka Sambyakugari, Wingate
Alex Lopez, Wingate
Anamaria Kiszner-Luca, Limestone
Jessica Binzari, Coker
Anita Chornei, Carson-Newman

Third Team Singles
Leonie Floeth, Tusculum
Mariam Bayatyan, Anderson
Natasha Forrest, Carson-Newman
Katie Robeson, Anderson
Summer Reeves, Carson-Newman
Alex Braithwaite, Anderson