The fourth-ranked Georgia women’s tennis team is the favorite to win the SEC title according to a preseason coaches poll, the league announced Wednesday.

 

The SEC boasts nine teams in the Oracle/ITA top 25 rankings, the most of any conference. The Bulldogs are joined by No. 2 Vanderbilt and No. 3 Florida in the top five of the national poll.

The Bulldogs, who were ranked sixth nationally after the 2017 season, return five players from that squad. Freshmen Katarina Jokic and Morgan Coppoc look to make a big impact in their first season. Jokic ranks No. 12 among the singles top 125 and finished with a team-best 19-3 record during fall tournament play. Coppoc debuted at No. 55 and compiled an 11-4 record this fall. Also of note, Georiga returns a trio of All-Americans in senior Kennedy Shaffer and Mariana Gould and sophomore Elena Christofi.

The SEC poll was voted on by the head coaches at each school and based on a point system where the first-place votes received 14 points, then each place lower received a decreasing value with 14th place receiving one point. Below are the full results.

The Bulldogs will play host to an ITA Kick-Off Weekend event starting with Michigan State on Friday, Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. Admission is free as the event wraps up Saturday with a match slated for either 9 a.m. or 1 p.m.

SEC Preseason Coaches Poll (Team-Points)

 
Georgia-184
Florida- 174
Vanderbilt- 171
South Carolina- 140
Auburn- 138
Arkansas- 116
Ole Miss- 107
LSU- 101
Kentucky- 95
Texas A&M- 73
Tennessee- 61
Mississippi State- 47
Alabama- 34
Missouri- 16