OXFORD, Ohio - The Mighty Oaks of Oakland City are still the favorite in women's tennis in the River States Conference, as Oakland City finished first in the 2026 Preseason Coaches' Poll. The poll, announced Wednesday afternoon by the River States Conference office, saw each of the conference's seven head coaches rank the other member schools in order of predicted finish.

Oakland City was the top choice of each of the other six coaches in the league, earning the maximum 36 points in the poll. The Mighty Oaks have won three consecutive RSC women's tennis titles, and have advanced to the national tournament in Mobile, Alabama in all three seasons. Currently ranked 22nd in the nation, the Mighty Oaks did not drop a match in last season's RSC Tournament, beating IU Southeast in the semis and Midway in the finals.

The other first place vote on the board went to the Midway Eagles. Midway was the regular season runner-up for the second straight year in 2025, and got back to the RSC Championship match for the third straight year with a 4-0 semifinal victory over IU Kokomo.

Brescia was picked third in the poll, and Indiana University Southeast was picked fourth, representing the midpoint of the league. IU Kokomo was placed fifth by the coaches, with sixth place IU East and seventh place IU Southeast rounding out the selections. 

Conference play in tennis will continue into the month of April, with the conference championships scheduled for April 23-25. The championships will again be held in Evansville, Indiana, at the Wesselman Tennis Center.

2026 RSC PRESEASON WOMEN's TENNIS COACHES POLL
1. Oakland City (36 points, 6 first place votes)
2. Midway (31 points, 1 first place vote)
3. Brescia (24 points)
4. IU Southeast (21 points)
5. IU Kokomo (14 points)
6. IU East (13 points)
7. Shawnee State (8 points)