KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced its preseason rankings for the 2026 women’s tennis season. Washburn was picked as the league favorite by MIAA head coaches, followed by Central Oklahoma and Nebraska Kearney.
Three teams shared the regular season crown in the 2025 season as Nebraska Kearney, Northwest Missouri and Washburn compiled MIAA records of 8-1. The Ichabods were selected to clinch the regular season title again with 70 points and six first-place votes in the 2026 preseason coaches poll. Central Oklahoma, the defending MIAA tournament champion, was picked second in the preseason poll with 63 points and two first-place selections.
Nebraska Kearney was picked third by MIAA head coaches with 53 points and one first-place vote. The Lopers took their 2025 season all the way to the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen in Altamonte Springs, Fla., where they suffered a 4-2 loss to Azusa Pacific.
Northwest Missouri finished just two points behind the Lopers for the No. 4 spot in the poll with 51 total points. Missouri Western capped the coaches’ top five selections in fifth with 47 points. Emporia State was selected sixth with 40 points, followed by Northeastern State in seventh, Arkansas-Fort Smith in eighth, Newman in ninth and Fort Hays State in tenth.
MIAA women’s tennis teams will begin the 2026 spring season in the first week of February and MIAA matches will begin in March. The 2026 MIAA Women’s Tennis Championship returns to the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield, Mo., May 1-3.
To view the schedules for all ten MIAA women’s tennis programs, visit
theMIAA.com/wtennis.
2026 MIAA WOMEN'S TENNIS
PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Washburn [6] –
70 points
2. Central Oklahoma [2] –
63 points
3. Nebraska Kearney [1] –
53 points
4. Northwest Missouri –
51 points
5. Missouri Western –
47 points
6. Emporia State –
40 points
7. Northeastern State –
33 points
8. Arkansas-Fort Smith –
19 points
9. Newman –
16 points
10. Fort Hays State –
13 points
[#] - First Place Votes