WASHINGTON – VCU has been predicted to repeated as A-10 Champions in the Under Armour 2026 Atlantic 10 Preseason Women’s Tennis Poll, released Thursday by the league. The A-10 also announced the 12-member Preseason All-Conference Team. Both the poll and preseason all-conference team were voted on by the league’s 12 head coaches.
 
After winning the 2025 conference title with a dominant postseason run, VCU topped the preseason poll with 132 points and six first-place votes. The Rams landed three players on the preseason all-conference team: Sophomore Sofia Jane Thorne and juniors Tania Isabel Andrade Sabando. All three players received All-Conference First Team honors last season.
 
Fordham followed closely behind VCU in the preseason poll, earning 126 points and five first-place votes. Fordham senior Nevena Kolarevic and junior Julianna Nguyen were named to the preseason all-conference team, as well as Latvian freshman Valerija Kargina.
 
Richmond took third in the preseason poll with 122 points, reaching the A-10 Championship final in 2025. Spiders senior Lara Bakhaya and sophomore Sofia Barbulescu received preseason all-conference honors. Rhode Island, the No. 1 seed in the 2025 A-10 Women’s Tennis Championship, placed fourth in the preseason poll with 100 points and one first-place vote, landing senior Nikki Fernando on the preseason all-conference team.
 
Savanna Kollock and Bryson Langford both earned spots on the preseason squad, returning to a Davidson team that placed fifth in the preseason poll with 97 points. George Washington came in sixth with 81 points, while Duquesne’s 65 points earned seventh.
 
Saint Louis (60), Dayton (47), and Saint Joseph’s (43), took eighth, ninth, and 10^th, respectively, with the Hawks earning one first-place vote. St. Bonaventure (34) and George Mason (29) rounded out the list, as Patriots junior Cenan Liu made the preseason all-conference team.

2026 Preseason All-Conference Women's Tennis Team
Savanna Kollock, Davidson
Bryson Langford, Davidson
Valerija Kargina, Fordham
Nevena Kolarevic, Fordham
Julianne Nguyen, Fordham
Cenan Liu, George Mason
Nikki Fernando, Rhode Island
Lara Bakhaya, Richmond
Sofia Barbulescu, Richmond
Mariam Ibrahim, VCU
Tania Isabel Andrade Sabando, VCU
Sofia Jane Thorne, VCU
 
2026 Preseason Women's Tennis Poll
1. VCU (6) - 132
2. Fordham (5) - 126
3. Richmond - 122
4. Rhode Island (1) - 100
5. Davidson - 97
6. George Washington - 81
7. Duquesne - 65
8. Saint Louis - 60
9. Dayton - 47
10. Saint Joseph’s (1) - 43
11. St. Bonaventure - 34
12. George Mason - 29