ATLANTA, Ga. -- Covenant women's tennis was picked third in the CCS preseason poll, announced the conference on Tuesday. 

The Scots are hoping to outdo that initial ranking and bounce back after a 4-15 (3-4 CCS) campaign last year.

Head coach John Hirte enters his 14th season of leading the group, while first-year assistant Renato Mizutani looks to continue his positive impact during the spring.

The roster houses five returners, three of whom are juniors. Christina English, Zoe Giuntoli, and Estee Verdery come back for 2026 after gaining ground last season, hoping to rise further up the lineup. 

Sophomores Katie Cummings and Ora Hall round out the returners, with both providing significant experience. Hall appeared in eight singles and four doubles matches as a freshman, while Cummings played in 17 singles and 18 doubles matches. 

Joining the fray in 2026 are three new faces: Kruesi Graham, Landry McKinney, and Maisie Tanchanpongs, who look to make an impact in their freshman campaigns. 

The Scots begin the spring season at home against Johnson, and then play four more non-conference matches after that before heading to Orlando for a five-match slate over spring break.

Conference play starts on March 27 in Decatur at Agnes Scott before wrapping up at Asbury on April 17. The CCS Tournament will be held in Murfreesboro from April 23-25, with the top six teams earning a tournament berth.

The Asbury Eagles were selected as the preseason favorites, garnering seven of the eight possible first-place votes. 

CONNECT WITH THE SCOTS

Be sure to follow the Scots all season long on athletics.covenant.edu and on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for up-to-date scores, news and other information.