FOREST, Va.- The Old Dominion Athletic Conference released its Coaches Poll for women's tennis on Thursday morning. The WildCats were selected fourth out of 12 teams with a total of 79 points.

Washington and Lee was picked once again to come out on top as it garnered 121 points and 11 first place votes. Averett came in second with 111 points and one first place vote. Virginia Wesleyan was third with 98 points. The full poll can be viewed below.

The WildCats qualified for the ODAC Tournament last season for the first time since 2019. The 'Cats won six matches in conference play which marked the most since that 2019 season.

Randolph hopes to return to the conference tournament this season but will have a different lineup. Returning this spring is sophomore Fleur Gaalman. Gaalman was a 2025 ODAC First Team selection at both singles and doubles winning a total of 27 matches at the #2 position.

"I think I learned that I know that I will always have people to support me if I'm having a hard time or a hard match, and for me that really helps me play better," said Gaalman. "By playing in college, you play in a team which is really fun because you will have to learn new people and have fun, but also be serious when it comes to the matches."

Outside of Gaalman and junior Maddie Mills, the 'Cats will have six first years on the team this season. Five of them have seen significant playing experience this past fall with one, Lexi Carlsen, joining the team this spring.

"I feel like the team we have this year is much more even, so the level is pretty good," said Gaalman. "I think we are going to be pretty good in doubles. Everybody has good volleys and is strong at net." 

The first match of the spring season is February 21 at home against Southern Virginia. The first official ODAC match is February 25 at Hollins.

"This very new group is going to improve drastically each and every week they are around each other," said head coach Sam Martinez. "Having six of the eight going through a spring season for the first time will be exciting and an adventure. Fleur & Maddie will be invaluable for their experience from making the semifinals last year. Being picked fourth is a great starting point for us and a testament to how competitive I think we will end up being come April. For the first years, I think Rachel Combs has a ton of potential to be a top, top player in our conference. Her forehand is almost as big as Texas. Sophia Cahue is going to be a really high-level doubles player for us which we really needed having lost Lize from last year's team. Mikayla Smith and Amy Rigg seemingly get better every single practice and I've got no clue where their level will wind up being by the end of April. We start off with a challenging match against Southern Virginia who, if they were in the ODAC, would be a top-6 team. We'll be ready for it. Let's go 'Cats."

 

2026 ODAC WOMEN'S TENNIS COACHES POLL
(#) denotes first place votes received

1. Washington and Lee University (11)	121 pts.
2. Averett University (1)	111 pts.
3. Virginia Wesleyan University	98 pts.
4. Randolph College	79 pts.
5. Shenandoah University	72 pts.
6. University of Lynchburg	64 pts.
7. Guilford College	62 pts.
8. Randolph-Macon College	53 pts.
8. Sweet Briar College	53 pts.
10. Roanoke College	44 pts.
11. Bridgewater College	23 pts.
12. Hollins University	12 pts.