CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The American Rivers Conference has released its 2026 women's tennis preseason coaches' poll on Monday, Aug. 24th. Wartburg received 43 points from the opposing A-R-C coaches', placing them second in the preseason coaches poll. 

The Knights will open their regular season on Sep. 1 (Tue) in Des Moines against Grand View University at 10 a.m. 

A-R-C Women's Tennis Preseason Poll:

1. Coe College - 49 (7)
2. Wartburg College - 43
T-3. Central College - 32
T-3. University of Dubuque - 32
5. Loras College - 29
6. Nebraska Wesleyan University - 17
7. Buena Vista University - 12
8. Simpson College - 10

A-R-C Preview
Wartburg College finished third in the A-R-C in 2025 and is coming off a historic season where the Knights set a new program record for wins in a single season. The women's tennis team won 21 matches, topping the previous 18 wins record set in both the 2018-2019 and 2024-2025 seasons. Chris Gustas enters year 11 at Wartburg. He returns a strong starting lineup of Morgan Kathman, Lily Schreckengast, Brooke Bloom, Kaitlyn Olson, Kendall Olson, Abi Peyman, and Riley McClellan. 

"Wartburg brings back an experienced group that has won a lot of matches in the past. I expect to be ready to compete right away in the fall. Last season our ladies won a whopping 21 matches and played well in everything that was close. There is a lot of toughness and belief in this group."