AUGUSTA, GA — The Peach Belt Conference has announced the 2024 women’s tennis season preview including the coaches preseason poll and All-Conference team. All ranking and voting was done by the league’s head coaches.

Flagler was the unanimous choice atop the coaches poll, capturing the maximum possible 36 points. Columbus State was second with North Georgia in third and Georgia College & State University in fourth.

Flagler, ranked #4 in the nation in the ITA preseason national poll, won their second straight PBC regular-season championship in 2023 and their second PBC Tournament title in the last three years. The Saints advanced to the NCAA national semifinals last season and return one senior and three juniors for 2024.

Columbus State finished in a three-way tie for second in the PBC standings last year, reaching the PBC Tournament final before advancing to the national quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars return two graduate students and two seniors for 2024.

Preseason Coaches Poll

Rank	Team	Points
1.	Flagler	36
2.	Columbus State	31
3.	North Georgia	26
4.	Georgia College & State University	21
5.	Lander	14
6.	Augusta	13
7.	Georgia Southwestern	6

Preseason All-Conference Team

Nikoline Gullacksen, Columbus State

• A sophomore from Helsingor, Denmark
• A second-team All-Conference selection in singles as a freshman, she begins the 2024 season ranked #35 in the nation by the ITA in singles and #5 in doubles
• Went 15-0 in dual match singles play last year and was one of only two PBC tennis players to post no losses with at least 15 decisions
• Was 11-3 in overall doubles play including at 5-0 mark against conference opponents

Dana Heimen, Flagler

• A sophomore from Ketsch, Germany
• The 2023 PBC Freshman of the Year, she was a first-team All-Conference selection in singles and second-team in doubles
• Currently ranked #7 in the nation in doubles with Nadja Meier, she was 22-2 in doubles play last season with a 6-1 mark against PBC teams and 2-2 against nationally-ranked doubles teams
• Went 17-3 in singles last spring, all at #3 singles, with a 2-1 mark against nationally-ranked players

Angelina Linnikova, North Georgia

• A junior from Irkutsk, Russia
• Begins the 2024 spring season ranked #5 in the nation in the ITA national rankings after going 14-3
• Received an at-large bid this past fall to play in the ITA Cup after reaching the Southeast Regional Finals
• Went 16-2 in singles in spring of 2023 with a 13-3 mark at #4 singles; was also 15-4 in doubles play

Johanna Lippert, North Georgia

• A senior from Hamburg, Germany
• A 2023 first-team All-Conference selection in doubles and second-team All-Conference in singles
• Ranked #23 in the nation in singles to begin the spring of 2024 and #18 in doubles
• Was 11-9 in dual match singles play, including 9-9 at #2 singles, with a 5-2 mark against PBC opponents

Madja Meier, Flagler

• A senior from Potsdam, Germany
• Currently ranked #2 in the nation in singles by the ITA, the highest singles rank of any PBC player; also ranked #7 in doubles with Dana Heimen
• A 2023 first-team All-Conference selection in singles and doubles, she won the ITA Southeast Regional singles title this past fall and advanced to the final of the ITA Cup, the farthest any Flagler player has ever gone
• A PBC Presidential Honor Roll Silver Scholar and recipient of the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award

Mariana Ramirez, Columbus State

• A graduate student from Pereira, Colombia
• Named first-team All-Conference in doubles and second team in singles in 2023; she is currently #27 in the nation in singles and #5 in doubles in the ITA national rankings
• Went 13-4 in dual match singles play with 16 of her 17 matches at #1 with a 5-1 mark against PBC opponents and 2-0 against nationally-ranked opponents
• Was 12-6 overall in doubles play, 12-4 at #1 doubles with a 4-2 PBC record