CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Results of the 2023-24 American Rivers Conference Women's Tennis Preseason Poll (as voted on by the league's head coaches):
| 2023-24 American Rivers Conference Women's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| Rank |
School (1st place votes) |
Points |
2022-23 Record |
| 1. |
Luther (8) |
64 |
19-11 overall, 8-0 A-R-C (Conference Champions) |
| 2. |
Coe (1) |
57 |
13-8 overall, 7-1 A-R-C |
| T-3. |
Central |
43 |
7-13 overall, 3-5 A-R-C |
| T-3. |
Wartburg |
43 |
13-11 overall, 5-3 A-R-C |
| 5. |
Nebraska Wesleyan |
41 |
8-4 overall, 6-2 A-R-C |
| 6. |
Loras |
30 |
14-7 overall, 4-4 A-R-C |
| 7. |
Simpson |
18 |
2-10 overall, 2-6 A-R-C |
| 8. |
Buena Vista |
15 |
2-13-2 overall, 1-7 A-R-C |
| 9. |
Dubuque |
13 |
0-15 overall, 0-8 A-R-C |
The Luther College Norse are the coaches' choice to win the 2023-2024 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. Central and Wartburg both earned 43 points to land at No. 3 in the coaches' poll. Nebraska Wesleyan picked up 41 points to put them at the No. 5 spot. The Duhawks tallied 30 points to put them at the No. 6 spot. Simpson, Buena Vista, and Dubuque finished seventh, eighth, and ninth, respectively.
The Schedule: The 2023 season kicks off on Saturday, August 26 with two of the nine members of the American Rivers Conference taking the court. Central hosts Monmouth from the Midwest Conference and Loras travels to North Central College out of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) to compete in the North Central Invite. Coe is the third team to kick off their season when they travel to Cornell, from the Midwest Conference, on Tuesday, August 29. Buena Vista, Dubuque, Luther, and Wartburg begin their seasons on Saturday, September 2. Buena Vista travels to Mount Vernon, Iowa to face Cornell and Milwaukee School of Engineering, hailing from the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC), Dubuque stays at home to host Monmouth, Luther travels to Wisconsin for the Warhawk Invite at Wisconsin-Whitewater, out of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Association (WIAC), and Wartburg hosts Grand View and Saint Ambrose, both NAIA institutions. League play kicks off Tuesday, September 5 when Wartburg hosts Loras, Dubuque travels to Luther, and Central hosts Nebraska Wesleyan. Buena Vista travels to Mount Vernon, Iowa to face Cornell, from the Midwest Conference, and Marian, out of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC). Buena Vista, Coe, and Simpson all open conference action on Saturday, September 9. Buena Vista will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska to face Nebraska Wesleyan. Coe opens league action when they host Wartburg and the Kohawks will also face off against North Park (CCIW) on that Saturday. Simpson will travel to Decorah, Iowa to face off against the defending A-R-C Champions, Luther.
The A-R-C Individual Tournament will take place Friday, October 13 and Saturday, October 14 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at the Coe College Clark Raquet Center and Veterans Memorial Tennis Courts. The A-R-C Women's Tennis Championship takes place April 23, 25, 27, 2023 and the champion receives the leagues' automatic qualifier to the NCAA III Championships.
| 1st |
|
Luther College
Head Coach: Adam Strand (13th season, 179-106)
2022-23 Record: 19-11 overall, 8-0 A-R-C
2022 Conference Finish: 1st
All-Conference Returning: Sofia Sackett (Sr.), Natalia Smith (Sr.), Riley O'Donnell (Jr.), Julia Moreno (So.), Abby Struble (So.)
All-Conference Lost: Lexi Hastings, Renata Martinez, Montse Ramirez-Mainou
Adam Strand - "We are excited for another season of A-R-C competition and look forward to the opportunities and challenges ahead." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2022-23 Record |
| Sofia Sackett (Sr.) |
21-10 singles // 12-17 doubles |
| Natalia Smith (Sr.) |
14-4 singles // 13-11 doubles |
| Riley O'Donnell (Jr.) |
20-10 singles // 10-2 doubles |
| Julia Moreno (So.) |
8-17 singles // 13-15 doubles |
| Abby Struble (So.) |
10-3 singles // 9-4 doubles |
| Abby Ostermann (So.) |
15-6 singles // 10-5 doubles |
| 2nd |
|
Coe College
Head Coach: Mike Strydom (4th season, 35-26)
2022-23 Record: 13-8 overall, 7-1 A-R-C)
2022 Conference Finish: 2nd
All-Conference Returning: Maddie Schultz (Jr.), Jania Johnson (Jr.)
All-Conference Lost: None
Mike Strydom - "Coe Women's Tennis is excited for the upcoming season. While the loss of veteran Emma Lassen will be felt, our upperclassmen are ready to take the lead. Maddie Schultz, two time conference MVP and All-Conference doubles selectee Jania Johnson highlight a lineup that includes '22/'23 starters Maria Bello Escobar, Jaden Fuqua and Courtney Carstensen who were all a large part of Coe's 7-1 conference record last year. A successful recruiting year brings in 6 freshmen who will be rearing to earn playing time immediately. Iowa High School State Champion & Runner Up Sophia Fain and Alliandra Hagness from Columbus High School will be joined by state qualifiers Bella Castle (Fairfield, IA) and Carlie Miller (Lasalle - Peru, Ill) as well as Washington High School Team state champion Chloe Palmer (Cedar Rapids, IA) and Ellie Marshall (Tinley Park, Ill) . Giana Akins made large strides as a freshman last year and will be bringing her spirited personality back to campus in the fall. The Kohawks will also be returning longtime assistant coaches Molly Garber and Claire Christian to the team awarded "Coaching Staff of the Year" by the conference in '22/'23. With only one senior, Amy Whitcomb, graduating, the Kohawks are set to continue their rise in their quest for a conference championship." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2022-23 Record |
| Maddie Schultz (Jr.) |
2-1 singles // 15-7 doubles |
| Jania Johnson (Jr.) |
3-10 singles // 15-6 doubles |
| t-3rd |
|
Central College
Head Coach: Ryun Ferrell (10th season, 95-74)
2022-23 Record: 7-13 overall, 3-5 A-R-C
2022 Conference Finish: 6th
All-Conference Returning: Jennifer Larson (Jr.)
All-Conference Lost: None
Ryun Ferrell - "We have everyone back from the spring and have added a few pieces for the fall. We are looking to take another step from where we were last spring." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2022-23 Record |
| Madi Whalen (So.) |
7-6 singles // 8-13 doubles |
| Becca Vala (Jr.) |
6-1 singles // 3-6 doubles |
| t-3rd |
|
Wartburg College
Head Coach: Chris Gustas (8th season, 95-68)
2022-23 Record: 13-11 overall, 5-3 A-R-C
2022 Conference Finish: 4th
All-Conference Returning: Natalie Kaiser (So.), Georgia Nissen (Sr.)
All-Conference Lost: Meadow LaDuke
Chris Gustas - "We return plenty of experience and more junior/senior leadership than we have in awhile. The question for Wartburg is which returners will take the next step, and how much impact will our newcomers make. Looking forward to A-R-C competition once again." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2022-23 Record |
| Natalie Kaiser (Jr.) |
14-15 singles // 15-16 doubles |
| Georgia Nissen (Sr.) |
14-12 singles // 15-16 doubles |
| Reese Williams (So.) |
8-8 singles // 5-10 doubles |
| Emma Thurness (So.) |
12-5 singles // 10-4 doubles |
| Chihiro Ono (Sr.) |
6-10 singles // 11-10 doubles |
| 5th |
|
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Head Coach: Lee Steinbrook (4th season, 9-24)
2022-23 Record: 8-4 overall, 6-2 A-R-C
2022 Conference Finish: 3rd
All-Conference Returning: Addi Duranski (Jr.), Anna Burt (Jr.), Crystal Craft (Jr.)
All-Conference Lost: Brooke Sailer
Lee Steinbrook - "We have a solid returning core, but with two of our top players out with injuries this fall, we will have to rely on some young players to help get us to the spring. Our team looks forward to the challenge." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2022-23 Record |
| Addi Duranski (Jr.) |
4-3 singles // 5-3 doubles |
| 6th |
|
Loras College
Head Coach: Cam Long (1st season)
2022-23 Record: 14-7 overall, 4-4 A-R-C)
2022 Conference Finish: 5th
All-Conference Returning: Dorothy Deans (Jr.)
All-Conference Lost: Lauren Diiulio, Isabel Schwabe, Sara Backus
Cam Long - "I am excited for what is in store this upcoming season. Obviously, we graduated a lot of talent from last season, but it has been great to see how motivated the current team is, and they will all be ready to step into their new roles. There is also a lot of returning talent around the conference, which should make for a fun fall." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2022-23 Record |
| Dorothy Deans (Jr.) |
8-2 singles // 15-6 doubles |
| Caroline Hutchinson (Jr.) |
12-6 singles // 15-5 doubles |
| Clair Moore (Sr.) |
3-7 singles // 2-2 doubles |
| Leia Papanicholas (Jr.) |
16-6 singles // 14-6 doubles |
| 7th |
|
Simpson College
Head Coach: Faith Bliss (7th season, 27-45)
2022-23 Record: 2-9 overall, 2-6 A-R-C
2022 Conference Finish: 7th
All-Conference Returning: Bella Tranquilino (Jr.)
All-Conference Lost: None
Faith Bliss - "The depressing thing about tennis is that no matter how good I get, I'll never be as good as a wall." - Originally said by Mitch Hedberg |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2022-23 Record |
| Bella Tranquilino (Jr.) |
2-13 singles // 1-14 doubles |
| 8th |
|
Buena Vista University
Head Coach: Dan Taylor (5th season, 9-54)
2022-23 Record: 2-13 overall, 1-7 A-R-C
2022 Conference Finish: 8th
All-Conference Returning: None
All-Conference Lost: Alexis McGinnis
Dan Taylor - "Our young team is looking to develop and take more steps forward during the upcoming A-R-C fall season." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2022-23 Record |
| Hailey Meseck (So.) |
3-11 singles // 0-13 doubles |
| Abby King (Jr.) |
3-10 singles // 1-9 doubles |
| 9th |
|
University of Dubuque
Head Coach: Chad Fenwick (1st season)
2022-23 Record: 0-15 overall, 0-8 A-R-C
2022 Conference Finish: 9th
All-Conference Returning: Hayden Warner (So.)
All-Conference Lost: None
Chad Fenwick - "I am excited about our roster and expect to be more competitive than recent years." |
| Players to Watch: (Returners Only) |
2022-23 Record |
| Hayden Warner (So.) |
6-8 singles // 3-13 doubles |
