STATESBORO - The Georgia Southern women's tennis team will have a much different look for the 2025 Spring campaign as the Eagles have welcomed in six newcomers, including five true freshman, to join a pair of returnees from last season's squad that went 18-6 and achieved an ITA National Ranking for a second consecutive season.

Outsiders might term it a rebuilding year for the Eagles, but head coach Sean McCaffrey instead chooses to focus on the optimism that the talented core of young players brings to Statesboro and a program that has quickly become one of the Sun Belt's best.

"It's definitely a year of growth for us," McCaffrey said. "And with that, there's opportunity - the opportunity to be amazing. I believe the team has a bunch of talent, and they have the potential to be really, really good. I don't like looking at things in terms of rebuilding. Our program is about being resilient. Every year, in one way or another, is a rebuilding year when it really comes down to it. I think we have a lot to be excited about."

The two returnees for the Eagles who will have the task to help shepherd the newcomers into the program are Nanaka Kijima (Jr., Chiba, Japan) and Mackenzie Leopold (Soph., Watkinsville, Ga.). The pair combined for 20 singles wins a year ago and will each battle for spots in the singles and doubles lineups. The Eagles also welcome in junior transfer Juliette Nask (Jr., Mamaroneck, N.Y.), who comes to Statesboro after playing last season at Iowa State.

The Eagles then welcome in five freshman from overseas who represent an exciting core for the present and future of the program. Three of the five hail from Germany; Hannah Eifert (Fr., Schermbeck, Germany), Franzi Heinemann (Fr., Bad Driburg, Germany) and Evelyn Warkentin (Fr., Aschendorf, Germany). In addition, the Eagles have Lisen Rinman (Fr., Stockholm, Sweden) and Amelie Rosadoro (Fr., Alicante, Spain). 

The team represents the youngest squad that coach McCaffrey has ever had in not only his eight years at the helm of Georgia Southern women's tennis, but in his overall 22 years of collegiate coaching. With that comes challenges, but optimism as well. 

"I feel confident in the way that I coach that we have the structure to allow their best tennis to come out," McCaffrey said about the team's youth this season. "As long as they're in the right mind frame, and as long as we do what we're supposed to do and train the way that we are training, I think there's a lot of optimism. It doesn't mean that we're not going to have those challenges and mistakes, they're still going to have those. But it's just a matter of weathering the storm and thinking about playing the long game."

One benefit of the Eagles this season is having 12 scheduled home matches at the Wallis Tennis Center this Spring, which is the most since 2019, when Georgia Southern had a school-record 14 home matches. The Eagles have their first home match on Saturday, January 25, hosting Florida Gulf Coast at 10 a.m.

"I wish we had a lot of those home matches last year for the seniors," McCaffrey said. "But for us, having a lot of home matches provides us with a little more comfort. I'm not sure we need it. In some ways, i want to challenge them as much as possible, so we'll find other ways to challenge them, through practice, training and working harder. And it means they're going to have to really focus on not giving up free points or easy matches. It's a lot easier to play at home than on the road, and I'm hoping the women realize that and take advantage of that."

The regular season begins with a road trip to Florida, taking on Florida A&M and No. 25 UCF on the weekend of January 17-19. Another road test is a non-conference date at the College of Charleston. But coach McCaffrey is excited to get the season underway and what lies ahead for his talented, but young, group of Eagles.

"At the end of the year, I want all eight of our women to be playing significantly better than they played at teh beginning of the year," McCaffrey said. "If that happens, that's all we can control. I do believe that if we do that, in time, there's no reason why this team can't compete for a conference championship year after year based on the nucleus that we have. It might sound cliche', but my thought is that we simply aim to get 1% better every time we step on the court. I'm hopeful that it's a positive season if we just stick to that goal."