Steubenville, Ohio - The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) released the Preseason Coaches' Poll for Women's Tennis on Friday. Franciscan was tabbed to finish third in the conference after finishing sixth last season and making a postseason run to the PAC Championship match. Under the leadership of Head Coach Tom Costello, the Barons look to earn their way into the conference tournament for the 15th consecutive season.
 

2025 PAC Women's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll (Predicted order of finish)
School (first-place votes)	Points	2024-25 record (conference)
1. Allegheny College (8)	64	18-8 (8-0 PAC)
2. Grove City College (1)	55	11-5 (7-1 PAC)
3. Franciscan University	48	10-11 (4-4 PAC)
4. Washington & Jefferson College	39	7-8 (4-4 PAC)
5. Saint Vincent College	37	18-4 (5-3 PAC)
6. Westminster College	31	8-4 (5-3 PAC)
7. Geneva College	26	8-7 (2-6 PAC)
8. Waynesburg University	13	2-12 (0-8 PAC)
9. Thiel College	11	2-12 (1-7 PAC)

Players to Watch
Four Barons were named PAC Players to Watch for the upcoming 2025 season. 

Kina Ehlers (Sr. Westerville, Ohio / Big Walnut) was dominant in singles last season. She led the Barons with a 15-2 mark, including a 6-0 record in conference matches. She primarily played in the #3 spot, but she likely moves up in the lineup this season. She earned First Team All-PAC accolades in singles and doubles last season. She played at the #1 spot in doubles alongside Claire Cardie. The duo of seniors will likely be paired up together again, as they held a 9-8 mark while playing together.

Claire Cardie (Sr. Dublin, Pa. / Archbishop Wood) held a 10-8 mark last season with all of those matches coming at the #1 spot. She held a 4-3 record in conference play while being named First Team All-PAC in singles and doubles. Cardie's 33 singles wins are tied for eighth most in program history, as she looks to climb up the ranks in her final campaign. 

Jordan Beltavski (Jr. Chardon, Ohio / The Lyceum) is another talented returner who will be a key to Franciscan's success this season. Last fall, Beltavski held an 11-4 record with a 6-2 mark in PAC contests while playing mostly at #4 singles. She teamed up with Olivia Colby at #2 doubles, and they held a perfect 13-0 record. That led to them being named First Team All-PAC in doubles. It will be interesting to see who pairs up with her this season after Colby graduated with the most doubles wins in program history.

Lucy Rochat (So. Sabinal, Texas / Mason) was named Honorable Mention All-PAC in doubles during her freshman season. She held a 4-3 conference record alongside Veronica Saunders at the #3 spot. She primarily played doubles, as she played in just two singles matches, but she could be a major contributor in both this season.

New Faces
Therese Bailargeon, Mila Esposito, Mary Fleming, Audrey Huckestein, Claire Jimenez, Colette Park, and Maria Suess are the seven freshmen who look to make an immediate impact. They provide a lot of depth to this team, as there looks to be some great competition for the final spots in the lineup.

The Favorites
Allegheny earned eight first-place votes to sit at #1 once again in 2025. The reigning champs held a perfect 8-0 mark in 2024 in PAC play, but the Barons gave them all they could handle in the PAC Championship, as it came down to the final match. Allegheny awarded their first-place vote to Grove City, as the Wolverines were picked to finish one spot above the Barons. 

Up Next
Franciscan will begin the 2025 season on August 29th, as they travel to Pitt.-Greensburg. The Barons are 13-2 all-time against the Bobcats, including wins in their last three meetings. This will be a matchup between two teams that were conference championship runner-ups a season ago, and both return several talented players. The Bobcats held an undefeated record in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) last season.

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