EARLY RECOGNITION
 
Both the UT Tyler men and women's programs are ranked inside the top 25 of the ITA Preseason Coaches Poll to begin the year. The men are ranked 7^th as they look to follow up their 2025 season that saw them make the NCAA Semifinals. The women are 18^th as they look to follow up their first ever LSC Championship match appearance with another strong season.
 
THE FALL SLATE
 
The fall slate was one of the best of the Division II era for the program, with both teams sending players to the ITA Cup. The women's pair of Natalia Gorzny and Yona Bancarel became the first Patriots women to represent the program at the ITA Cup in the Division II era, and the doubles pair of Daniil Felker and Carel Wessel along with singles player Malo Poulesquen represented the men.
 
Gorzny and Bancarel finished 2-1 on the week, Felker and Wessel went 1-2, and Poulesquen also finished 2-1.
 
A TOUGH SCHEDULE
 
Both sides of the tennis program will face one of the toughest schedules in the country, with the men seeing eight opponents ranked in the ITA Preseason Poll and the women seeing nine.
 
In those, the men will also play in the ITA Indoor National Championships on February 13-15, where they will see three total ranked teams, led off by #4 West Florida. They will play two other yet to be determined opponents, and all eight teams participating are ranked inside the top 17 in the poll. They will also face off with three consecutive top 15 opponents from March 6-12.
 
For the women, they will face a stretch of six consecutive top 25 teams from February 27-March 12, and will tack on three more ranked opponents during conference play alone as they face a daunting schedule.
 
TENNIS IN EDMOND
 
This week the Patriots head to Edmond, Oklahoma and the campus of Central Oklahoma for three matchups for the women and two for the men.
 
The women will play Central Oklahoma on Thursday, followed by Northeastern State and Southwest Baptist on Friday and Saturday. The men's team will also play the Riverhawks and Bearcats, both on Friday and Saturday.
 
UT Tyler's women will be lead by the pair of Gorzny and Bancarel, along with key returners Luisa Moraes and Paula Castellanos. They will lead a cast of newcomers that include Claudia Di Leonardo, Hailey Zhang, Maria Antonio Ortega, and Sabrina Pugh.
 
The Patriots men will see each player from the semifinal team last season last season make their return for 2026, led by Wessel, Felker, and Poulesquen. They will also return ITA Rookie of the Year Artiom Dorofeev, along with Jordi Garcia Portell, Arthur Miquelard, Job Japelj, and Trevor Short. They welcome in key newcomers Samuel Antwi and Manuel Lassacher to what should be a loaded lineup.