MELBOURNE, Fla. – The Saint Leo University men's tennis team was selected to finish fourth in the 2026 Sunshine State Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. Barry University was selected as the preseason favorite in a poll voted on by the league's eight head coaches. The Lions earned a total of 32 points, 17 behind the Buccaneers, who earned 49 points, receiving all seven first-place votes, as coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team.
 
 
Saint Leo is coming off a 20-9 season in 2025 and a 6-1 SSC record to finish in second place. The Lions took third place in the 2025 SSC tournament and earned a bid to the NCAA Regionals. Under the direction of new head coach Ivan Fernandez, the Lions excelled during the fall season highlighted by an ITA Regional title by the double pair of Jose David Segovia and Kodai Kato.
 
 
Saint Leo is one of five SSC programs to enter the season ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) preseason Top 25. Barry opens the year as the nation's top-ranked team, while Saint Leo (12), Florida Southern (14), and Embry-Riddle (15) are ranked in the top 15. Rollins rounds out the rankings at No. 25.
 
The 2026 spring season begins for the Lions with a conference match hosting Palm Beach Atlantic on February 7 at noon.
 
The 2026 SSC Men's Tennis Championship will be held from Thursday, April 30th through Saturday, May 2nd at the Perper Tennis Complex on the campus of Lynn University.
 
Below are the full results of the 2026 SSC preseason coaches' poll. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their teams (points: 7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).
 

2026 SSC Men's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll
Place	Team	Total (FPV)
1	Barry	49 (7)
2	Florida Southern	38 (1)
3	Embry-Riddle	36
4	Saint Leo	32
5	Rollins	28
6	Lynn	20
7	Eckerd	11
8	Palm Beach Atlantic	10