FALL PREVIEW: Women's Tennis Opens Busy Fall Slate at KSU This Weekend
9/17/2026 11:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Georgia Southern welcomes in four newcomers to join five returners this season
Over the next two and a half months, the Eagles will take part in five events. This weekend, the Eagles will face players from Kennesaw State, Georgia State and Mercer in singles and doubles action from Friday through Sunday. Then, on Oct. 2-4, the Eagles will take part in the yearly Mercer Gridiron Classic, held in Macon, Ga. ITA Regionals follow, this year hosted by the University of Miami, in Florida, from Oct. 8-11.
Georgia Southern will host its annual Fall Shootout at the Wallis Tennis Center on Oct. 23-25, then the Fall slate wraps up on Oct. 31-Nov. 2 at a new event in Rome, Ga. - The UTR College Fall Championship. This will give the Eagles a great chance for high level competition at the site of the yearly Sun Belt Conference Championships.
Five returners, led by All-Conference singles performer Evelyn Warkentin, lead the Eagle roster for 2026-27. Fourth-year Mackenzie Leopold is the Eagles' most experienced returner, while three other fellow third-year student-athletes - Franzi Heinemann, Anegelina Mihajlovic and Amelie Rosadoro - give Georgia Southern plenty of collegiate experience to lean onto for this season. Four newcomers join the fold, including a pair of transfers. Third-year Reese Parker comes to the 'Boro from Bellarmine, while fellow third-year Natalie Crawford transfers in from Gardner-Webb. Two talented incoming first-years round out the squad in Annik Freund from Germany and Mar Hernandez from Spain.
"I think everyone is really excited to begin competing this Fall," Georgia Southern head women's tennis coach Sean McCaffrey said. "We have a good mix of returning veterans, some strong transfers and promising freshman. Our goal for the year is entirely process-driven, with a mindset squarely focused on day to day growth. The events we have on the schedule for this Fall mark a great balance of a number of different levels that will challenge and help us learn and grow as we go. We have always been a program that improves with time throughout the season. This occurs each year, and we are expecting nothing less than that once again in the 2026-27 year."
"This weekend's first event at Kennesaw's Invite will be a great opportunity to see where our baseline is and grow from there," McCaffrey said. "I'm excited to see where this team goes!"
