Asbury (Ky.) on top of RSC Men's Tennis Coaches' Preseason Poll
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- Asbury (Ky.) University is not surprisingly at the top of the 2021 River States Conference Men's Tennis Coaches' Preseason Poll. The Eagles, who are "receiving votes" nationally in the NAIA Top 25 and have dominated the league for several years, were the unanimous favorite this year after receiving every possible first-place vote in the polling of the RSC head coaches.
RSC men's tennis did not conduct its championship last spring due to COVID-19. But going back to the 2019 championship, Asbury notched its third-straight conference title that year over IU Southeast.
Asbury received 36 points in the preseason poll, which included all six of the possible first-place votes. The Eagles are currently just outside the NAIA Top 25 as the 30th-ranked team in the country. The Eagles open their season Feb. 27 at Thomas More (Ky.).
IU East was picked second in the voting with 29 points and the remaining first-place vote. The Red Wolves are now under head coach Jacob Rankin, who took over for long-time coach Erskine Ratchford, who remains in the fold as an assistant.
IU Southeast, the runner-up from the last championship contested in 2019, was picked third with 25 points. RSC newcomer Oakland City (Ind.) University, which comes over from NCAA Division II was picked fourth with 22 points.
Midway (Ky.) University, a conference semifinalist last time, was picked fifth with 15 points followed by Brescia (Ky.) University in sixth with 14 and Ohio Christian University seventh with sixth.
The 2021 RSC Men's Tennis Championship will be held April 23-24 at the Top Seed Tennis Club in Lexington, Ky. The winner will advance to the NAIA National Championship May 18-22 in Mobile, Ala.
2021 RIVER STATES CONFERENCE MEN'S TENNIS PRESEASON POLL
(First-Place Votes in Parenthesis)
| School | Points |
| 1. Asbury (Ky.) (6) | 36 |
| 2. IU East (1) | 29 |
| 3. IU Southeast | 25 |
| 4. Oakland City (Ind.) | 22 |
| 5. Midway (Ky.) | 15 |
| 6. Brescia (Ky.) | 14 |
| 7. Ohio Christian | 6 |