BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) released its women's tennis preseason poll on Tuesday afternoon, and the Geneva College women's tennis team was picked to finish in fifth place this fall, matching their finish in the PAC standings from last season. Last year's champion, Allegheny College, earned the top spot in the poll once again after going undefeated in PAC play in 2025.

The Golden Tornadoes enter 2026 after returning to postseason play for the first time in over four years last season. Under the leadership of first-year head coach Nate Heidengren, the women went 7-8 overall and 4-4 in conference play to earn the No. 5 seed in the PAC playoff tournament. After a loss to Washington & Jefferson in the quarterfinals, the GTs are back and ready to make another playoff push this fall.

Leading the charge for Geneva will be three players returning from last year who were named Players to Watch by the PAC. Junior Chloe DeSanzo will handle the top flight in both singles and doubles play after being named a First Team All-PAC selection for the second time in as many seasons in 2025. Senior Rachel Hodsden, who has played in the No. 3 or No. 4 singles slot for all three years of her tenure, will also be an important contributor, while sophomore Paige Phillips was named a Player to Watch as well as she enters her second year.

Heidengren returns a large group of five seniors, including Hodsden, Julia Grove, Emma Kline, Caroline Reed, and Paris Silverstein. One or more of those players will likely be relied upon to fill important singles and doubles slots. In addition to the seniors, DeSanzo, and Phillips, sophomore Abigail Anderson returns after going 7-8 in singles play last year.

The women begin their season in one week when they travel to Franciscan University on September 1 to take on the Barons in a match that will not only be their season opener, but also their conference opener. Geneva is on the road for the first three weeks of the fall before they finally host Saint Vincent on Monday, September 21.

Through purposeful learning in a community reflecting the full spectrum of God's kingdom, a Geneva College experience inspires students to discover a faith-life calling in service to God and neighbor. Offering 195+ traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality and affordability. Geneva was founded and is governed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and is a founding member of both the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and the International Association for Christian Education (IACE).