FOREST, Va. --- ODAC women's tennis programs were off to a solid start in 2019-20 prior to the pause in competition. Several teams had performed well at 2019 fall regional and invitational events leading to strong anticipation for the spring 2020 campaign. That eagerness has maintained entering the 2021 spring schedule with the conference's coaches kicking off the year with the annual ODAC Women's Tennis Preseason Poll.

Washington and Lee University maintains its traditional position atop the survey with 121 points powered by 11 first place votes. Sweet Briar College collected the remaining top consideration on the way to 96 markers.

Three teams are separated by just one point for the next three positions. The University of Lynchburg and Virginia Wesleyan University sit locked with 88 points for third place, while Randolph-Macon College follows closely in fifth with 87 tallies.

STORYLINES: PICKING UP WHERE THEY LEFT OFF
The 2020 season was abruptly halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic with several developing storylines that teams will look reestablish as they open play in 2020.

• Title Dominance Continues | Washington and Lee has made a habit out of winning tennis titles in both the ODAC women's and men's ranks. Generals teams have captured 67 of the 80 women's and men's trophies awarded by the conference. W&L's women have donned 29-of-37 crowns including every piece of hardware since 2003. The Generals are heavily favored to hoist their 18th consecutive ODAC prize in May. All-ODAC honorees Taylor Garcia and Valerie Marshall (2018 ODAC ROY) lead a standout group of returners that includes Becket Waters, Gracie Caplice, and Claire Lacksen. As if the returning talent wasn't enough, newcomers including Margaret Cartlton, Kaitlyn Chalker, Nell Covington, and Izzy Koziol expected to challenge and likely take up position in W&L's rotation.
• Teams on the Rise | Several ODAC teams got off to a fast start in 2019-20 and look poised to do it again in 2021. That group includes Sweet Briar, Lynchburg, and Virginia Wesleyan.
  • Sweet Briar made a huge leap last season under head coach Dustin Hale in going 6-2 overall in dual matches and showing well at the 2019 Southeast Regional. The Vixens will look to continue production and development of players like Ruth de Souza, Kate Kotany, and Allison Wandling. They will need to replace the contributions of Emily Wandling, but SBC has the up-and-coming roster to do it when you factor in Emily Renn, Alexia Alfaro, and Ruth Lechner.
  • Lynchburg is buoyed by several players with strong winning pedigrees, including the return of three-time All-ODAC #1 singles player and 2019 ODAC Player of the Year Christina Harris. The Hornets all-time singles wins (71) leader is joined by fellow All-ODAC honorees Alissa Anderson and Ellen Druebbisch as well as twins Elizabeth and Grace Teefey -- who form an excellent doubles pairing -- Caroline Guill and Lauren Pascadlo.
  • Virginia Wesleyan started its return to the top of the ODAC nearly three seasons ago when the Marlins turned the ODAC Tournament bracket on its head and finished as the runner-up as the #7 seed in 2018. Top singles players Alexa Brewster and Audrey Bally -- an All-ODAC honoree in 2018 -- are joined by Christine Zalameda and Amanda Stegemann in forming the core of this season's squad. Look for newcomers Shannon Lewes and Sophia Bibbo to also make an impact.
• Rank 'em...Soon | Normally at this time of year, the ITA would have several iterations of it team and individual rankings from fall competitions to give us an idea of what to expect for the spring season. That is not the case this season. At the close of the 2019-20 season, Washington and Lee was ranked 18th in the country. It is a safe bet the Generals would hold a similar ranking entering spring 2021. The lone returning player to be ranked at the end of 2019-20 was W&L's Garcia. She and then doubles partner Lily Horsely were slotted sixth in the region. Stay tuned for new rankings once play begins.
• New Coach in Salem | Chris Wilkes takes over the reins at Roanoke College entering the spring season. While new to the school located in Salem, Wilkes spent the previous eight seasons guiding the tennis programs at local Salem High School.

THE SCHEDULE AND TOURNAMENT

• The ODAC conference schedule is unaltered from previous seasons with teams slated to play 10 league matches in an unbalanced format against other league opponents. Hollins will not be competing as an ODAC member this season.
• As is consistent with all ODAC sports, the number of non-conference matches played will be determined by each school.
• The 2021 ODAC Women's Tennis Championship will continue to feature nine teams, but will be played in a slightly altered format. Final dates will be determined once matchups are determined and facility availability can be confirmed.
  • First Round: Tuesday or Wednesday, April 27-28, 2021
  • Quarterfinals: Saturday or Sunday, May 1-2, 2021
  • Semifinals: Tuesday or Wednesday, May 4-5, 2021
  • Championship: Saturday or Sunday, May 8-9, 2021
• The NCAA Division III Tournament team selections will be announced on Monday, May 10. Individual announcements will follow later in the week.

Listed below is the 2021 ODAC Women's Tennis Coaches Poll. Be sure to check out the preseason capsules for more details on each team.

For more information on ODAC women's tennis, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.  Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.

2021 ODAC WOMEN'S TENNIS COACHES POLL