KINGSTON, R.I. - Rhode Island senior Nikki Fernando was named to the 2026 Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference Team, and the Rams were picked fourth out of 12 teams in voting among the league's coaches.

Rhody - which received one first-place vote - was the No. 4 seed at the 2025 Atlantic 10 Championship and reached the tournament quarterfinals. This year, the Rams are off to a 4-1 start with a match against NJIT this Sunday.

An Atlantic 10 Second Team All-Conference selection last season, Fernando is seventh in program history with 57 career singles wins. She can get to as high as second place all time during the regular season. Fernando also has 59 career doubles wins and needs six more to break Tristany Leikem's record of 64 from 2008-12.

VCU has been predicted to repeated as A-10 Champions in the Under Armour 2026 Atlantic 10 Preseason Women's Tennis Poll. VCU topped the preseason poll with 132 points and six first-place votes. The Rams landed three players on the preseason all-conference team: Sophomore Sofia Jane Thorne and juniors Tania Isabel Andrade Sabando. All three players received All-Conference First Team honors last season.

Behind VCU was Fordham (126 points, 5 first-place votes). Richmond took third in the preseason poll with 122 points after reaching the A-10 Championship final in 2025. Rhode Island placed fourth in the preseason poll with 100 points and one first-place vote.

2026 Preseason Women's Tennis Poll
1. VCU (6) - 132
2. Fordham (5) - 126
3. Richmond - 122
4. Rhode Island (1) - 100
5. Davidson - 97
6. George Washington - 81
7. Duquesne - 65
8. Saint Louis - 60
9. Dayton - 47
10. Saint Joseph's (1) - 43
11. St. Bonaventure - 34
12. George Mason - 29

2026 Preseason All-Conference Women's Tennis Team
Savanna Kollock, Davidson
Bryson Langford, Davidson
Valerija Kargina, Fordham
Nevena Kolarevic, Fordham
Julianne Nguyen, Fordham
Cenan Liu, George Mason
Nikki Fernando, Rhode Island
Lara Bakhaya, Richmond
Sofia Barbulescu, Richmond
Mariam Ibrahim, VCU
Tania Isabel Andrade Sabando, VCU
Sofia Jane Thorne, VCU