FOREST, Va. -- Averett University women's tennis was selected to finish second in the 2026 Old Dominion Athletic Conference's women's tennis poll, announced on Thursday morning.
Ranked 19th in the country, last season's conference champion in Washington and Lee was voted as the top team, with 11 first place votes. Averett, in second, takes second with the last first-place vote. Virginia Wesleyan University, Randolph College, and Shenandoah University take third, fourth, and the firth spots, respectively.
The Cougars' spring success rolled through 2025, as Averett finished second in the ODAC regular season with a 16-5 record (9-1 ODAC), and advanced to the conference championship before it lost to the Generals. The Cougars return most starters, with the inclusion of former Second Team No. 2 Doubles selection, and senior
Brenda Poulakidas; as well junior
Annika Kellerer, who was voted to the All-ODAC second team at No. 6 singles. Tenured head coach
Bert Poole enters season 11 at the lead of the program.
Averett opens up 2026 in Newport News, Virginia, playing a pair of matches on the weekend of Feb. 14. The Cougars first play Rochester Institute of Technology, before dueling with T-No. 24 Christopher Newport University the day after.
| 2026 ODAC Preseason Women's Tennis Poll |
| Rank |
Institution (1st Place Votes) |
Pts. |
| 1. |
Washington and Lee^ (11) |
121 |
| 2. |
Averett (1) |
111 |
| 3. |
Virginia Wesleyan |
98 |
| 4. |
Randolph |
79 |
| 5. |
Shenandoah |
72 |
| 6. |
Lynchburg |
64 |
| 7. |
Guilford |
62 |
| T-8. |
Randolph-Macon |
53 |
| T-8. |
Sweet Briar |
53 |
| 10. |
Roanoke |
44 |
| 11. |
Bridgewater |
23 |
| 12. |
Hollins |
12 |
|
|
|
| ^Defending ODAC Champion |
