FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern women's tennis team and first-year head coach Doug Neagle will go into the 2017 season ranked fourth in the Sunshine State Conference after the release of the preseason poll.
 
Defending SSC Tournament Champion Lynn edged out regular season champs Barry as the preseason favorite, receiving 61 total votes with six first-place votes. Meanwhile, Barry tallied 56 total votes and two first-place votes. Just ahead of NSU for third place sits 2016 regular season champs, Saint Leo. Florida Southern is positioned behind the Sharks in fifth while Rollins, Florida Tech, Tampa and Eckerd round out the poll in spots six through nine.
 
Last season, the Sharks finished 15-5, 6-2 in the conference with an unblemished 8-0 record on the road. The Sharks also reeled off an 11-game winning streak with a trip to the conference and regional tournaments. Nova Southeastern was later defeated by Lynn in the SSC semifinal before then being edged by West Florida in the first round of the regional tournament. 
 
"This a tough, competitive conference we play in," said Neagle. "We only have three returners from the 2016 team with a handful of young newcomers. I have seen a lot of progress, though, and we are looking really good in practice. Once we find our momentum, it will be very tough to stop us and I know we can match up well against the tough competition such as Barry, Lynn and Saint Leo."
 
The Sharks will open their season with a six-game road trip beginning with a visit to Keiser on February 4 before making their home debut on March 4 against Rollins. Eckerd will host the SSC Championship in Bradenton, Florida from April 20-22.
 
2017 SSC Preseason Poll                                 

Rank	School (FPV)	Total Votes
1	Lynn (6)	61
2	Barry (2)	56
3	Saint Leo (1)	53
4	Nova Southeastern	44
5	Florida Southern	34
6	Rollins	31
7	Florida Tech	22
8	Tampa	15
9	Eckerd	8