AUGUSTA, Ga. | The Peach Belt Conference preseason coaches poll for women's tennis has been released.
 
Georgia College & State University has been picked to finish fourth in the league.
 
Flagler College, which advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II National Championship last season, was the top pick in the poll as they collected five first-place votes and 47 points, while the University of North Georgia was second with two first-place votes and 43 points and Columbus State University had the other first-place vote and is third in the poll with 39 points. North Georgia and Columbus State along with Flagler were PBC regular co-champions in 2025 with UNG winning the PBC Tournament title.

The Bobcats, who return seven players from last year's 15-7 squad that made their 26th appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament as the No. 7 seed from the Southeast Region,  was fourth in the preseason poll with 27 points. New PBC member Middle Georgia State University was fifth with 24 points and was followed by Augusta University (20), Lander University (17) and Georgia Southwestern State University (7).

GCSU, which was ranked 36th in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll a year ago, opens its 2026 season Friday (Jan. 30) when they travel to Franklin Springs, Georgia, for a 2 p.m. match against Emmanuel (Ga.) University. The Bobcats open their home schedule at the Centennial Center Tennis Courts Feb. 6 with a noon contest against Tuskegee University.

About GCSU Athletics 
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for five consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won six consecutive Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and four-time winners of the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in postseason competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports or subscribe to the GSCU Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with GCSU Athletics.