ST. LOUIS - Belmont has been selected by league coaches as the favorite in the preseason poll. The Bruins received 75 total points and six first-place votes.
 
Belmont received the most first place votes and points overall which brings them in at the top of the MVC Tennis Preseason Poll. After a strong fall campaign that saw the Bruins capture two Missouri Valley Conference individual titles, the Belmont University women's tennis team is eager for the challenging spring championship season. Under the direction of first-year head coach Dané Vorster, Belmont began its MVC era in October with impressive performances in Springfield, Missouri, at the Bruins’ first MVC Individual Championships. Freshman Mariia Hlahola, a native of Kyiv, Ukraine, claimed the conference's top singles championship, while sophomore Anastasiya Zholdakova, also a Kyiv, Ukraine, native, and graduate student Meredith Roberts (Jackson, Miss.) won the No. 3 doubles flight. Belmont’s season gets underway Sunday, Jan. 22 when the Bruins host in-state NCAA Division II member Lee University at the Ensworth Tennis Center. Valparaiso will serve as Belmont’s conference opener on Sunday, March 19 with the Bruins hosting their first-ever MVC match in the Music City.
 
Coming in a close second is the defending MVC Tournament champion, Illinois State. ISU looks to continue its recent run of success in the MVC once again in 2023. Coming off a thrilling win over Drake in last year’s title match and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament against Ohio State, the Redbirds are led by two-time MVC All-Conference selection and 2021 MVC Player of the Year Tijana Zlatanovic at the No. 1 spot. She will be joined by her doubles partner Tara Damnjanovic and standouts Alexandra Abyasova, Elena Jankulovska and Othilia Brodin as returners, who will assist newcomers Nevena Kolarevic, Zoe Limparis, Iva Poleksic, and Silvia Pomarolli in rounding out the lineup.
 
UIC is placed third with 65 points and three first place votes. UIC women’s tennis is poised for a strong season in 2023, beginning with a visit to Northwestern this weekend. The Flames boast a strong roster, including a dynamic duo of junior Ana Jover and Agnes Gustafsson, who made a deep run as a doubles team to the round of 16 at the ITA Regionals in Ann Arbor, Mich. back in late October. Head coach Shannon Tully’s 2023 roster features four newcomers playing their first spring season at UIC, including transfers Natalia Nikolopoulou from James Madison, Zara Ryan from Utah State, and Cora-Lynn von Dungern from Western Kentucky.
 
There will be some new and familiar faces on the court for the fourth ranked Drake women’s tennis this spring. The Bulldogs will look to build upon a solid fall 2022 campaign with a new leader. In late October, Breaunna Addison was hired as Drake’s newest head women’s tennis coach. Addison brings a deep well of tennis knowledge after a remarkable prep and collegiate before coaching stops at LAT Tennis Academy, Miami University, and Howard University. The Bulldogs saw both team and individual success in the fall. As a group, Drake ended the autumn schedule with a victory at their own Bulldog Invite (10/30). At the MVC Championships, senior Rebecca Ehn captured the Flight 5 championship while the doubles pairing of Darinka Stepan and Mille Haagensen rolled through the Flight 2 bracket to a title. Due to Addison’s late arrival on campus, the Bulldogs’ spring schedule is still being finalized.
 
Securing fifth is Murray State. Murray State women’s tennis returns six significant contributors from last year’s squad for their first season in the Missouri Valley Conference. Last season, the Racers went 12-10 overall and finished their season with a run to the Ohio Valley Conference semifinals for the first time since 2015. Paola Campigotto and Natalie Slezakova each took home MVC Individual Championships in their respective flights in the fall while Sarah Bureau and Annika Pschorr will each play significant roles in the team’s experience and leadership on the court. 

Valparaiso notched the sixth-place spot and is led by reigning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year Olivia Czerwonka, who ranks sixth in program history in career singles victories and fourth in career doubles triumphs. This fall, freshman Moira Silva burst onto the scene by winning the MVC Flight 2 Singles Individual Championship. The Beacons will look to build on last season, when they achieved the team's highest win total - both overall and in league play - since 2007. The team garnered its first league tournament victory since 2006 and Czerwonka represented the program's first Conference Player of the Year since 2001. 
 
Receiving 27 points and coming in seventh place is Bradley. The Braves finished the fall season with trips to Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and Illinois State for tournament play. The Braves wrapped up their fall season with the ITA Central Region Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma. 
The team is made up of mainly underclassmen which includes just three juniors, Madalena Andrade, Maria Bezmenova and Alex Hildreth. The Braves showcase three freshman, Anna Belogliadova, Mariia Pukhina and Madi Rogers, and one sophomore, Kirstin Hailey.Bradley will kick off their spring season by hosting Chicago State on January 28^th. The Braves will travel quite a bit early in the season as they head to Omaha, Nebraska to play Creighton and Omaha. The team will also travel south to take on Southeastern Louisiana, McNeese State and Southern University in a four-day stretch. 
 
 
Missouri State received 22 points, placing eighth in the preseason poll. Missouri State and women's tennis begins the new year on the heels of a competitive fall. Diana Cabrera took a second-place finish at No. 1 singles in The Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. At the same tournament, the doubles pair of Mary Houston and Silva Avakian earned fourth place in No. 3 doubles, while Avakian grabbed fifth at No. 6 singles. MSU begins the spring with three road duals, battling Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana Tech, and McNeese State on Jan. 27-29. However, the Bears are home for the entirety of February, taking on Eastern Illinois, UMKC, Central Arkansas, Oral Roberts and Southwest Baptist on five separate home dates. 
 
Northern Iowa rounds out the poll in ninth place. UNI faced many ups and downs during the fall season, but overall displayed some great performances by each of its individual members. Andrijana Brkic dominated on the court with an overall 15-2 singles record and managed to take first place in the Drake Invite this past September. Brkic and her doubles partner, Thaissa Moreira, finished with a 4-4 record as well. Brkic also received 3rd place in the flight 2 bracket at the MVC Individual Tournament. Lorena Cardoso was also able to snag a top-five spot in the MVC Individual Tournament finishing in 5th place in the flight 3 bracket. The Panthers will kick off their spring season on the road against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks on January 20. 
 
Tennis competition begins this weekend with UIC taking on Northwestern University. The first weekly Tennis Honors will be released on Tuesday, January 31. The 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Championships will be held April 21-23 in Normal, Illinois, hosted by Illinois State.