CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Results of the 2022-23 American Rivers Conference Women's Tennis Preseason Poll (as voted on by the league's head coaches):
| 2022-23 American Rivers Conference Women's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| Rank |
School (1st place votes) |
Points |
2021-22 Record |
| 1. |
Luther (8) |
64 |
18-11 overall, 8-0 A-R-C (Conference Champions) |
| 2. |
Coe (1) |
57 |
13-9 overall, 6-2 A-R-C |
| 3. |
Wartburg |
45 |
12-15 overall, 4-4 A-R-C |
| 4. |
Loras |
44 |
11-7 overall, 5-3 A-R-C |
| 5. |
Central |
38 |
11-12 overall, 6-2 A-R-C |
| 6. |
Nebraska Wesleyan |
30 |
1-13 overall, 1-7 A-R-C |
| 7. |
Simpson |
23 |
4-10 overall, 4-4 A-R-C |
| 8. |
Buena Vista |
13 |
2-16 overall, 2-6 A-R-C |
| 9. |
Dubuque |
10 |
2-15 overall, 0-8 A-R-C |
The Luther College Norse are the coaches' choice to win the 2022-2023 American Rivers Conference Women's Tennis title. The Norse were last season's conference champions and were chosen first on eight ballots (coaches do not vote on their own team) and earned 64 points to earn the No. 1 ranking. Coe garnered 57 points in the poll and received one first-place votes. Wartburg debuts at No. 3 in the coaches' poll, earning 45 points, and Loras picked up 44 points to put them at the No. 4 spot. The Dutch tallied 38 points to put them at the No. 5 spot and Nebraska Wesleyan picked up 30 points to earn sixth. Simpson, Buena Vista, and Dubuque finished seventh, eighth, and ninth, respectively.
The Schedule: The 2022 season kicks off on Saturday, August 27 with two of the nine members of the American Rivers Conference taking the court. Dubuque hosts North Central from the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) and Central hosts Monmouth out of the Midwest Conference. League play kicks off Friday, September 2 when Dubuque hosts Wartburg. Buena Vista, Coe, Luther, and Simpson all open their seasons on Saturday, September 3. Buena Vista travels to Mount Vernon, Iowa to face Cornell, from the Midwest Conference, and Marian, out of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC). Coe opens with a pair of conference matches when they travel to Central and Simpson. Luther begins their quest to defend their American Rivers Conference title by travelling to Wheaton, Ill. to face Edgewood from the NACC and Wheaton out of the CCIW. Loras opens their season Monday, September 5 when they travel to Davenport, Iowa to take on Saint Ambrose, an NAIA institution from the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Nebraska Wesleyan is the last league institution to begin their season when they host College of Saint Mary (Neb.), an NAIA institution from the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) on Tuesday, September 6.
The A-R-C Individual Tournament will take place Friday, October 14 and Saturday, October 15 in Decorah, Iowa at the Luther College Tennis Courts and Decorah City Tennis Courts hosted by Luther College. The A-R-C Women's Tennis Championship takes place April 18, 20, 22, 2023 and the champion receives the leagues' automatic qualifier to the NCAA III Championships.
| 1st |
|
Luther College
Head Coach: Adam Strand (12th season, 160-95)
2021-22 Record: 18-11 overall, 8-0 Conference
2021 Conference Finish: 1st
All-Conference Returning: Sofia Sackett (Jr.), Renata Martinez (So.), Lexi Hastings (Sr.), Natalia Smith (Jr.)
All-Conference Lost: Shelby Cook, Ana Olimpio
Adam Strand - "We are excited about our returning group of players and eager to compete in the A-R-C again this fall." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021-22 Record |
| Sofia Sackett (Jr.) |
15-15 in singles // 17-10 in doubles |
| Natalia Smith (Jr.) |
10-11 in singles // 11-13 in doubles |
| Renata Martinez (So.) |
21-9 in singles // 9-4 in doubles |
| Lexi Hastings (Sr.) |
8-1 in singles // 14-12 in doubles |
| Julia Moreno (So.) |
11-3 in singles // 4-7 in doubles |
| 2nd |
|
Coe College
Head Coach: Mike Strydom (3rd season, 22-20)
2021-22 Record: 13-9 overall, 6-2 Conference
2021 Conference Finish: 3rd
All-Conference Returning: Madison Schultz (So.), Emma Lassen (Sr.)
All-Conference Lost: Eliza Sundermann, Bella Hoppenjaans
Mike Strydom - "The 21/22 season culminated in a loss in the final of the team conference tournament and are primed for improvement this season. The graduation of seniors Bella Hoppenjaans and Eliza Sundermann, both all-conference selections, has created an opportunity for fringe players to step into the team and play a role. Expect a breakout season from Jaden Fuqua who works hard at her game year round and is mentally very tough to break down. She has waited a long time for her chance and will no-doubt grab it with both hands. Claudia Bilkey showed glimpses of her enormous potential towards the end of the season and it is expected that she relish the role of playing higher on the team. Madison Schultz, reigning A-R-C MVP, was undefeated in conference play last year and will be exciting to watch as she continues to develop and seek out regional honors. Emma Lassen returns for her senior year having cemented herself as a perennial all-conference competitor. Jania Carter-Johnson has worked hard in the off season on developing some subtlety to her all-power game and will be a force to be reckoned with regardless of where she plays in the lineup. The Kohawks are also excited to welcome 2-time Iowa State Doubles Champion Courtney Carstensen to the team. She adds a ton of skill and ability to the lineup. With the A-R-C continuing to improve in strength throughout, the Kohawks are excited for strong competition as they look to continue improving on previous results." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021-22 Record |
| Madison Schultz (So.) |
8-0 conference // 14-4 non-conference |
| Jania Johnson (So.) |
5-3 conference // 9-8 non-conference |
| Claudia Bilkey (So.) |
4-4 conference |
| Emma Lassen (Sr.) |
4-3 conference |
| Jaden Fuqua (So.) |
2-0 conference // 3-1 non-conference |
| 3rd |
|
Wartburg College
Head Coach: Chris Gustas (7th season, 82-57)
2021-22 Record: 12-15 overall, 4-4 Conference
2021 Conference Finish: t-5th
All-Conference Returning: Meadow LaDuke (So.), Natalie Kaiser (So.)
All-Conference Lost: None
Chris Gustas - "The A-R-C is as deep with competitive teams as I can remember. I expect we'll play several matches this season that will come down to just a couple of courts, with conference positioning on the line. We'll need to be ready for it. Wartburg is young again this season but brings back players with experience." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021-22 Record |
| Meadow LaDuke (So.) |
16-14 singles (9-8 at #1 singles) // 16-12 doubles (10-8 at #1 doubles) |
| Natalie Kaiser (So.) |
18-11 singles (11-6 at #2 singles) // 13-10 doubles (10-8 at #1 doubles) |
| Georgia Nissen (Jr.) |
13-10 singles // 8-8 at #2 doubles |
| Chihiro Ono (Jr.) |
7-7 at #2 doubles |
| 4th |
|
Loras College
Head Coach: Chad Fenwick (8th season, 70-39)
2021-22 Record: 11-7 overall, 5-3 Conference
2021 Conference Finish: 4th
All-Conference Returning: Lauren Diiulio (Sr.), Isabel Schwabe (Sr.)
All-Conference Lost: None
Chad Fenwick - "We are excited about this season. We return our entire roster from last year and have added a couple key transfers and freshmen." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021-22 Record |
| Lauren Diiulio (Sr.) |
4-6 singles // 5-4 doubles |
| Isabel Schwabbe (Sr.) |
6-4 singles // 5-4 doubles |
| Clair Moore (Jr.) |
5-5 singles // 6-4 doubles |
| Sara Backus (Sr.) |
7-3 singles // 5-5 doubles |
| Dorothy Deans (So.) |
5-4 singles // 5-5 doubles |
| 5th |
|
Central College
Head Coach: Ryun Ferrell (8th season, 88-61)
2021-22 Record: 11-12 overall, 6-2 Conference
2021 Conference Finish: t-2nd
All-Conference Returning: None
All-Conference Lost: Bronwyn Metcalf, Alyssa Lewton, Maddie Hartley
Ryun Ferrell - "This team has lost a lot but has a lot of returners but when you have lost this many players you don't have shoes to fill you have a brand new pair of shoes. A completely new pair of shoes here." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021-22 Record |
| Bri Lindstrom (Jr.) |
6-10 singles // 2-3 doubles |
| 6th |
|
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Head Coach: Lee Steinbrook (3rd season, 1-20)
2021-22 Record: 1-13 overall, 1-7 A-R-C
2021 Conference Finish: 8th
All-Conference Returning: Brooke Sailer (Sr.)
All-Conference Lost: None
Lee Steinbrook - "Lost a lot of close matches last year, so this is the year the team is hoping to turn the record around a bit, with six new players added to a complete returning team." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021-22 Record |
| Brooke Sailer (Sr.) |
8-6 in singles // 2-11 in doubles |
| 7th |
|
Simpson College
Head Coach: Faith Bliss (5th season, 25-36)
2021-22 Record: 4-10 overall, 4-4 Conference
2021 Conference Finish: t-5th
All-Conference Returning: None
All-Conference Lost: Emily King, Anna Wanek
Faith Bliss - "We are excited for a fun-filled season!" |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021-22 Record |
| Bella Tranquilino (So.) |
5-13 singles // 7-12 doubles |
| Donni Kinghorn (Sr.) |
5-13 singles // 3-16 doubles |
| Kennedi Wright (Sr.) |
4-12 singles // 5-15 doubles |
| 8th |
|
Buena Vista University
Head Coach: Dan Taylor (4th season, 7-38)
2021-22 Record: 2-16 overall, 2-6 Conference
2021 Conference Finish: 7th
All-Conference Returning: None
All-Conference Lost: Nicole Lange
Dan Taylor - "The competition in the A-R-C is always tough, but our team will be up for the challenge, and I am looking forward to seeing the ladies implement last year's improvements into their matches this season." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021-22 Record |
| Alexis McGinnis (Sr.) |
2-6 singles conference |
| 9th |
|
University of Dubuque
Head Coach: Dishon Deering (5th season, 9-48)
2021-22 Record: 2-15 overall, 0-8 Conference
2021 Conference Finish: 9th
All-Conference Returning: Alyssa Stevenson (Jr.)
All-Conference Lost: None
Dishon Deering - "We are excited for the upcoming season." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2021-22 Record |
| Alyssa Stevenson (Jr.) |
0-5 conference // 1-11 overall |
