MELBOURNE, Fla. – Under the direction of first-year head coach Austin Hensley, the 15th-ranked Saint Leo University women's tennis team has been selected to finish in fifth place in the 2025 Sunshine State Conference women's tennis preseason coaches' poll. The Lions finished the 2024 season in sixth place with a 14-9 overall record and a 4-5 record in conference matches. The SSC head coaches selected the Barry University Buccaneers as the preseason favorite.
 
Barry is followed by defending national champion Nova Southeastern. The Sharks finished with 73 points and two first-place votes. Lynn lands in third with 67 points and the final first-place vote. Embry-Riddle, with 56 points, rounds out the Top 4. Saint Leo garnered 46 points and landed in fifth place, while Rollins (35 points) edged out Florida Southern (34 points) for sixth. Tampa (33 points), Palm Beach Atlantic (17 points), and Eckerd College (9 points) take up the remaining spots in the coach's ranking.
 
Lynn took the 2024 regular season crown with an 8-1 tally in league play. It was the Fighting Knights' first regular-season title since 2019. Barry won their fourth SSC tournament in a row, defeating the top-seeded Fighting Knights 4-0 in the final.
 
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association has Barry, Nova Southeastern, Lynn, and Embry-Riddle as the preseason Top-4 in 2025. Saint Leo (15th) and Tampa (20th) also represent the SSC in the preseason ranking.
 
Below are the full results of the 2024 SSC preseason coaches' poll. Coaches may not vote for their teams  (points: 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).
 

2025 SSC WOMEN'S TENNIS PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Rank	School (FPV)	Total Points
1	Barry (7)	78
2	Nova Southeastern (2)	73
3	Lynn (1)	67
4	Embry-Riddle	56
5	Saint Leo	46
6	Rollins	35
7	Florida Southern	34
8	Tampa	33
9	Palm Beach Atlantic	17
10	Eckerd	9

 
SSC Women's Tennis History: National Championships | Conference Champions | All-SSC Teams