ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The Tusculum University women's tennis team has been chosen to finish seventh in the 2025 South Atlantic Conference preseason coaches poll, the SAC office announced Friday.

Senior Elodie Baechler was voted first-team All-SAC in singles in voting by the conference's media relations offices. Baechler is among three starters returning for first-year head coach Garcian D'Cruz.

The Pioneers were in a three-way tie for fourth place in the 2024 SAC standings at 8-4, and finished the season with an overall 14-8 record and ranked 46th in the final ITA Division II rankings of the year.

Baechler has been second-team All-SAC in doubles each of the last two years. She was 15-6 in singles last season, including 11-4 in dual matches and 6-4 in conference play. The La Rippe, Switzerland native has a career record of 42-36 in singles with the Pioneers.

Wingate, which was a perfect 12-0 in conference play last season, received 11 first-place votes and 143 points in the poll, followed by Catawba with two first-place votes and 118 points, and Lenoir-Rhyne in third with 117 points. Carson-Newman and Newberry were tied for fourth with 102 points, with Limestone in sixth at 87 points and Tusculum seventh with 73 points.

The remainder of the poll including Anderson in eighth with 69 points, trailed by Coker (68), Lincoln Memorial (56), UVA Wise (40), Emory & Henry (22) and Mars Hill (17).

Tusculum begins spring play with an exhibition Saturday afternoon at UNC Asheville. The Pioneers' first home match is Tuesday, Feb. 18 against King, and the SAC opener is at Anderson on Wednesday, March 5.

2025 SAC Women's Tennis Poll

2025 SAC Women's Tennis All-Conference
First Team Doubles
Runa Muderrisoglu / Claudia Orsini, Lenoir-Rhyne
Chloe Kosmrlj / Claudia Vallejos, Wingate
Emmerson Banning / Jade Bellegy, Coker

Second Team Doubles
Fernanda Castillo / Suzuka Sambyakugari, Wingate
Adriana Pellizzari/Carla Ramonet, Lincoln Memorial
Ami Miya / Anna Wise, Catawba

First Team Singles
Chloe Kosmrlj, Wingate
Ami Miya, Catawba
Runa Muderrisoglu, Lenoir-Rhyne
Elodie Baechler, Tusculum
Suzuka Sambyakugari, Wingate
Fernanda Castillo, Wingate

Second Team Singles
Jade Bellergy, Coker
Monika Temkova, Limestone
Emma Arnal, Newberry
Nellie Wahlberg, Lenoir-Rhyne
Claudia Vallejos, Wingate
Adriana Pellizzari, Lincoln Memorial

Players to Watch:
Hannah Frazer, Mars Hill
Shakti Mishra, Mars Hill
Ellyson Kovacs, Emory & Henry
Tahnne Sesma, Emory & Henry
Valentina Borda, Anderson
Alexandria Braithwaite, Anderson
Constança Azinhaga, UVA Wise
Lucy Cunliffe, UVA Wise
Edisa Hot, Carson-Newman
Leah McBride, Carson-Newman