FOREST, Va. – Fresh off a return to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Tournament for the first time in just-under a decade, the Guilford College women's tennis team strives to build off of last season's successes entering their spring slate having been picked seventh in the ODAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the conference offices on Thursday morning.

"Our team is excited to compete this spring in the ODAC, a conference where the level of women's tennis continues to grow stronger each year," Women's Tennis Head Coach, Kim-Anne Kleimeier said. "It is inspiring to see the competitiveness across all programs rise, showcasing that Division III is home to exceptional talent and high-level tennis."

This Quakers team features a cluster of returning contributors after graduating only one senior from the class of 2024-2025. Of those returners, senior and captain Ashley Belnap (Winston-Salem, N.C.) is looking to end her last season on a high note, starting the Fall season off with a 2-1 record. Leading Guilford in total wins last year, finishing 9-9 in singles and 6-10 in doubles, Erika Mendez (Asheville, N.C.) now has the opportunity to really do damage in the Quaker doubles lineup alongside newcomer Carolina Dirk (Port Aransas, Texas).

Sophomore Chandler Sizemore (Sandy Ridge, N.C.) played in the third flight in the fall and was paired with Belnap in doubles action. She looks to build off a solid freshman season during which she collected seven singles wins.

Amy Soto Salgado (Conover, N.C.) started the fall season strong as the number five seed with a 2-1 record while sophomore LaNiya Ward (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and junior Bethany Lupo (Tabor City, N.C.) rounded out the singles six in the fall and look to continue to provide strong depth on the back-half of the scorebook.

Newcomers to the team include Carolina Dirk transferring in for her sophomore season of eligibility after stops at Division-II power University of Texas at Tyler and Division-I UNC Greensboro. She finished the fall slate undefeated, going 3-0 in singles and 2-0 in doubles action. Freshman McKenna Merritt (Dobson, N.C.) played the fourth flight and went 3-0 in the fall. Merritt teamed up with Brooke Tsuei (Summerfield, N.C.) to round out GC's doubles lineup in the fall, with the pair going 2-0 together.

First-year Zara Goolsby (Greensboro, N.C.) adds depth and talent to the Guilford roster as the team looks toward a return to the conference tournament in late April.

The Quakers return to the court on Saturday, February 21^st opposite Winston-Salem State University at 1:00 PM. They open ODAC play against the reigning conference runner-up, Averett University, on March 8^th at home, beginning at 1:00 PM.
 

Rk.	School (First-Place Votes)	Pts.
1.	Washington & Lee University (11)	121 pts.
2.	Averett University (1)	111 pts.
3.	Virginia Wesleyan University	98 pts.
4.	Randolph College	79 pts.
5.	Shenandoah University	72 pts.
6.	University of Lynchburg	64 pts.
7.	Guilford College	62 pts.
T8.	Randolph-Macon College	53 pts.
T8.	Sweet Briar College	53 pts.
10.	Roanoke College	44 pts.
11.	Bridgewater College	23 pts.
12.	Hollins University	12 pts.

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