ATLANTA, Ga. --- After historic debut seasons, Asbury's men's and women's tennis teams open 2026 as the Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) preseason favorites, sweeping the top spot in both polls with each squad looking to defend their conference titles this year.
Defending champion Asbury opens the 2026 season as the favorite in the CCS Women's Tennis Preseason Poll. The Eagles earned 49 points and seven first-place votes from league head coaches after finishing last season 13–5 overall and 6–1 in conference play, with their lone CCS loss coming against Piedmont.
In 2025 Asbury women's tennis entered the postseason as the No. 2 seed and delivered a dominant tournament run, defeating Huntingdon before sweeping Piedmont, 4–0, in the championship match to claim the CCS title. The Eagles continued their season at the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Tournament, where they battled North Carolina Wesleyan in the opening round before falling 4–1 in Lexington, Va.
Returning to lead the Eagles are 2025 CCS Player of the Year
Ariadna Zegarra and Rookie of the Year
Katherine Nova, as Asbury sets its sights on another title run.
Conference play kicks off on Saturday, March 7, with several conference teams taking to the court. Follow all the CCS women's tennis action with updated scores, schedules at standings at www.collegiateconferenceofthesouth.com.
The 2026 CCS Women's Tennis Championship Tournament features the Top six teams on Thursday, April 23 and the championship game is scheduled for Saturday, April 25 hosted by the Adams Tennis Complex in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Below is a look at the 2026 CCS Women's Tennis Preseason Poll. First-place votes are in parentheses:
2026 CCS WOMEN'S TENNIS PRESEASON POLL
| 1 |
Asbury University |
49 points (7) |
| 2 |
Piedmont University |
43 points (1) |
| 3 |
Covenant College |
32 points |
| 4 |
Maryville College |
31 points |
| 5 |
Huntingdon College |
27 points |
| 6 |
Agnes Scott College |
16 points |
| 7 |
LaGrange College |
15 points |
| 8 |
Belhaven University |
11 points |
First-place votes in parenthesis.
After a dominant debut season play, Asbury has been selected as the top pick in the CCS Men's Tennis Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches. The Eagles earned 36 points and six of the seven first-place votes following a 13–4 overall record and an unbeaten 6–0 mark in CCS competition.
In their first year competing in the conference, Asbury claimed the CCS regular-season title and capped the season with a tournament championship run. The Eagles opened postseason play with a win over Belhaven in the quarterfinals before defeating Piedmont, 4–2, to secure the CCS crown. AU advanced to the NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Tournament, where their season concluded in the opening round against Averett.
The Eagles return a strong core led by junior
Ben Moore and seniors
Ignacio Ardiles and
Franco Patino. Moore posted one of the team's top records in both singles (12–3, primarily at No. 3) and doubles (12–3), while Ardiles went 13-4 in singles matches at the No. 4 spot. Patino provided stability at the No. 2 singles position, finishing 10–8 in singles and 6–8 in doubles. All three earned all-conference honors under the leadership of 2025 CCS Coach of the Year Jared Miller.
Conference play kicks off on Saturday, March 7, with several conference teams taking to the court. Follow all the CCS men's tennis action with updated scores, schedules at standings at www.collegiateconferenceofthesouth.com.
The 2026 CCS Men's Tennis Championship Tournament starts with the Top six teams on Thursday, April 23 and the championship game is scheduled for Saturday, April 25 hosted by the Adams Tennis Complex in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Below is a look at the 2026 CCS Men's Tennis Preseason Poll. First-place votes are in parentheses:
2026 CCS MEN'S TENNIS PRESEASON POLL
| 1 |
Asbury University |
36 points (6) |
| 2 |
Covenant College |
29 points |
| 3 |
Piedmont University |
28 points (1) |
| 4 |
Maryville College |
19 points |
| 5 |
Belhaven University |
15 points |
| 6 |
Huntingdon College |
14 points |
| 7 |
LaGrange College |
6 points |
First-place votes in parenthesis.
ABOUT THE COLLEGIATE CONFERENCE OF THE SOUTH (CCS)
The CCS is an NCAA Division III athletic conference that began play during the 2022-23 academic year. The conference features nine member institutions (Agnes Scott College, Asbury University, Belhaven University, Covenant College, Huntingdon College, LaGrange College, Maryville College, Piedmont University, and Wesleyan College) and sponsors championships across 14 sports. In addition to sharing the member institutions' geographic identity, the name 'Collegiate Conference of the South' is indicative of a shared commitment to academic excellence, which is commensurate with the NCAA Division III philosophy.
Follow all things #CCS on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram at @ccofsouth for all the latest news around the league.
