Rock Hill, S.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs have been picked to finish second in the preseason South Atlantic Conference women's tennis coach's poll, which was released Wednesday morning. Wingate had three players earn SAC Player to Watch accolades –
Fernanda Castillo,
Claudia Vallejos and
Anastasia Oktiabreva.
Catawba is the preseason favorite, collecting 10 of the 12 first-place votes. Wingate is second, picking up the other two first-place votes. Carson-Newman is third, with Newberry, Coker, Anderson, LMU and Lenoir-Rhyne rounding out the top eight. UVA Wise is ninth, followed by Tusculum, Emory & Henry and Mars Hill.
Wingate went 17-6 last season, posting an 11-1 record in league play. The Bulldogs advanced to the SAC title match and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The 'Dogs have appeared in the NCAA Tournament each of the last seven seasons. Wingate has won 12 of the last 14 regular season SAC titles, going 148-5 in league play during the span.
Castillo went 12-5 last season, with a 5-2 record in league play. All 17 of her matches came at number two singles. Casillo also collected nine victories in doubles play in 2025.
Vallejos went 9-6 for the Bulldogs in singles play last year, with a 5-2 record in SAC play. She went 4-0 at five singles, adding five wins at five singles. Vallejos also picked up nine victories in doubles play last year.
Oktiabreva joins the Bulldogs as a freshman from Horomerice, Czech Republic.
Wingate opens the season Feb. 3 at Queens, opening the home slate Thursday, Feb. 12 against Belmont Abbey at 2 p.m. The Bulldogs open SAC play Feb. 21 at Mars Hill at 1 p.m.
Preseason SAC Women's Tennis Poll
| Rank |
School (First Place Votes) |
Score |
| 1. |
Catawba (10) |
131 |
| 2. |
Wingate (2) |
122 |
| 3. |
Carson-Newman |
108 |
| 4. |
Newberry |
98 |
| 5. |
Coker |
84 |
| 6. |
Anderson |
79 |
| 7. |
Lincoln Memorial |
77 |
| 8. |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
70 |
| t9. |
UVA Wise |
48 |
| t9. |
Tusculum |
48 |
| 11. |
Emory & Henry |
34 |
| 12. |
Mars Hill |
25 |
SAC Women's Tennis Players to Watch
Anderson: Gigi Sompayrac, Alexandria Braithwaite, Ensley Collins
Catawba: Ami Miya, Sofia Antolini, Hanna Bougouffa
Carson-Newman: Maria del Mar Sarda Marti, Kira Baacke, Hala Awad
Coker: Ilona Hernandez-Sanchez, Salome Sierra, Noelle D'Angelillo
Emory & Henry: Ellyson Kovacs, Tahnne Sesma, Olivia Pursley
Lenoir-Rhyne: Runa Muderrisoglu, Nellie Wahlberg, Mehetia Boosie
Lincoln Memorial: Rosalie Carrier-Dulac, Adriana Pellizzari , Alexandra Ortiz
Mars Hill: Charne Mulder, Shakti Mishra, Versha Yadav
Newberry: Aina Miralles, Yui Suzuki, Lina Sarhan
Tusculum: Emma Kotzmannova, Ylva Frafjord Landa, Ginevra Moreno Villa
UVA Wise: Kenzy Abdelaal, Constança Azinhaga, Andreea Onitoiu
Wingate: Fernanda Castillo, Claudia Vallejos, Anastasia Oktiabreva
