Bowling Green, KY – The UC women's tennis team is seeking its fourth straight NAIA national tournament appearance and on Friday the Patriots were tabbed to finish tied for second in the Mid-South Conference, announced by conference officials.  The Patriots earned 37 points, including one first place vote, as the head coaches of each of the eight teams voted on the poll.

The Patriots are coming off an 11-7 season in 2019 that included an appearance in the MSC tournament semifinals and a 6-3 win over the University of Mobile in the opening round of the NAIA national championships.  Cumberlands posted three wins over NAIA top 25 ranked opponents last season.

UC has returned five of their top six players from last year's squad led by NAIA First Team All-American Tomomi Nagao.  Nagao, the fifth-ranked singles player in the NAIA, tallied a 12-3 record last season and a fourth place finish at the ITA Cup this fall.
In addition to her single's play, Nagao has team with Jaclyn Jewell to be the 13^th-ranked doubles pair in the country.  The tandem is coming off a 12-5 season at #1 doubles and notched a runner-up finish at the ITA Regional Cup.  Jewell and Nagao knocked off second-seed Ainhoa Garrido and Jessica Hernandez of Cumberland in semifinals of the ITA regionals.

Jewell, Mikaela Fros, Grace Steely, and Tessa Gray have also returned from last year's squad.  Jewell notched a 5-10 record, while Fros has posted a 6-8 overall record playing primary #3.  Steely and Gray posted winning record at #4 and #6 singles, respectfully.  Gray and Steely also combined for a 10-7 doubles record, playing primarily #2 doubles. 

In addition to the returners, Cumberlands has four newcomers that will make an impact of the team.  Satsuki Mitani and Johanna Beckmann both had solid performances during the fall competition season. 

Defending MSC champion Lindsey Wilson notched 46 points and six first place votes to sit atop the coaches' poll.  Cumberland and Georgetown both earned 37 points to be tied for second, while Campbellsville is fifth with 28 points.

The Patriots will open their 2020 season Saturday, February 1, when they travel to Harrogate, TN to face Lincoln Memorial University.  First serve is set for 9 a.m.

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Complete Poll:

2020 Mid-South Conference Women's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll
Pos.	Team	Points (First-Place Votes)	2019 Record (MSC)
1.	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)	46 (6)	11-6 (6-0)
2.	Cumberland (Tenn.)	37	11-8 (3-3)
	Cumberlands (Ky.)	37 (1)	11-7 (4-2)
	Georgetown (Ky.)	37 (1)	16-6 (5-1)
5.	Campbellsville (Ky.)	28	8-11 (2-4)
6.	Thomas More (Ky.)	19	7-3 (N/A*)
7.	Pikeville (Ky.)	12	7-6 (1-5)
8.	Shawnee State (Ohio)	8	2-17 (0-6)