RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Southeastern women's tennis program was voted third in the Great American Conference Preseason Poll, voted on by the league's coaches.
The Savage Storm was one of four teams to receive a first-place vote, with Harding and Southern Arkansas tying for the most first-place tallies with two. The Bisons just edged out SAU in first with 22 total points, while the Muleriders garnered 19 votes. SE slotted in third with 17 points and a first-place point, and Henderson State would round out the first-place votes with one in fourth.
The blue and gold advanced to the GAC Championship match last season for the fifth straight year in a row after a 15-6 season. The Storm finished 3-2 in GAC play on their way to the finals and would fall short to SAU in the championship match, 4-2.
First-year head coach
Cari Groce returns three players from last year's roster, including First Team All-GAC
Milana Voloshyn, who won the GAC Flight 2 Individual Championship this fall, and
Amishi Shukla. Voloshyn finished last year with a 12-5 singles record in dual matches, primarily at the No. 2 spot, while Shukla was 14-1 in doubles action during dual play from the No. 3 court. Both Voloshyn and Shukla have been members of the Southeastern program for three seasons, entering their junior year.
In addition to three returners, Southeastern brought in two newcomers in the fall and three for the spring semester. Highlighting the newcomers is
Emilia O'Neill and
Kseniya Zhdanok, who competed this fall for the Storm and
Lilly Shepard,
Sophia Brooks-Gay and
Sreevally Medishetti, who all joined this spring.
Southeastern opens the spring portion of its season at home on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 2 p.m. against UT Dallas in one of 12 home matches this season. The Storm will host three GAC matches, beginning with Ouachita Baptist on Thursday, Apr. 2, at 10 a.m. from the Southeastern Tennis Complex.
GAC Women's Tennis Preseason Poll
| Team |
Total Votes |
First-Place Votes |
| Harding |
22 |
2 |
| Southern Arkansas |
19 |
2 |
| Southeastern |
17 |
1 |
| Henderson State |
13 |
1 |
| Arkansas Tech |
11 |
|
| Ouachita Baptist |
8 |
|
