AUGUSTA, Ga. – For the fourth year in a row, the Flagler College women's tennis team was picked as the favorite to win the Peach Belt Conference according to the preseason coaches' poll that was released Tuesday morning by conference officials.
Eryka Kruk and
Sofia Balsera were selected to the preseason all-conference team.
Flagler received five first place votes and tallied 47 points.
The Saints, ranked No. 4 in the preseason ITA Division II Top 25 national poll, finished last year with a 23-6 overall record and a 5-1 mark in league play. Flagler has won or shared the last four regular season titles. The Saints advanced to the NCAA Division II National Tournament semifinal round last year.
Following Flagler at No. 2 was the University of North Georgia with two first place votes. Columbus State University follows at No. 3 with one first place vote. The rest of the coaches' poll was Georgia College & State University (No. 4), Middle Georgia State University (No. 5), Augusta University (No. 6), Lander University (No. 7), and Georgia Southwestern State University (No. 8).
Balsera earned second team all-conference honors in singles and doubles last year. She went 29-8 in singles play and was undefeated (6-0) in conference play. Balsera posted a 12-2 record at No. 6 singles. The Tampa, Florida native finished with a 19-13 overall record in doubles play in 2024-25. She was 12-6 when paired with
Adela Latalova.
Kruk earned second team all-conference accolades in singles last year. The Minsk, Belarus native posted a 27-5 record in singles and won her last seven matches in a row. Kruk went 11-3 at No. 5 singles and was a perfect 9-0 at No. 4 singles. She finished last year with a 17-16 mark in doubles. Kruk was 9-5 with
Laura Jipescu.
The Saints open the season at home Feb. 6 against Belmont Abbey College. They play at the ITA Division II Indoor Championship Feb. 20-22 at Indianapolis, Indiana. The conference opener is March 27 against North Georgia.
2026 PBC Women's Tennis Preseason Coaches Poll
| Rank |
School |
Points |
| 1. |
Flagler |
47 |
| 2. |
North Georgia |
43 |
| 3. |
Columbus State |
39 |
| 4. |
GCSU |
27 |
| 5. |
Middle Georgia |
24 |
| 6. |
Augusta |
20 |
| 7. |
Lander |
17 |
| 8. |
Georgia Southwestern |
7 |
Preseason All-Conference
Nikoline Gullacksen, CSU
Sofia Lauretti, CSU
Laura Pesickova, CSU
Eryka Kruk, Flagler
Sofia Balsera, Flagler
Evelyn Altmaier, Lander
Linn Goerdes, UNG
CONNECT WITH THE SAINTS: Facebook |
X |
Instagram |
YouTube
DOWNLOAD TEAM SCHEDULES: Download Center
FOLLOW YOUR FAVORITE SAINTS TEAM: Sign up for Newsletter
