There's high hopes for the Hillsdale College women's tennis team in 2026, with a strong group returning for the first campaign with Melanie Zampardo as head coach.

Those hopes are reflected in the G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll, released on Wednesday afternoon, as the Chargers were tied for third place in the vote among G-MAC coaches.

Defending regular season champion Findlay was picked to repeat as champions in the poll with six first place votes, with defending G-MAC Tournament champion Tiffin right behind in a tight race with four first place votes. Hillsdale sits in third in the poll with 72 votes, the same number as Northwood, who is tied with the Chargers for that spot. You can find the full poll below.

Hillsdale is hoping to contend for its first G-MAC crown since 2021 with five of its seven players from last season's third-place G-MAC finish returning, including several players who are high in the lineup.

Results from the fall individual portion were encouraging for the Chargers, headlined by junior Ane Dannhauser, a two-time first team All-G-MAC player and 2024 G-MAC Freshman of the Year. Dannhauser had a banner fall, reaching the finals in the top singles bracket of both home invitationals and making the deepest-ever run by a Hillsdale women's tennis player in the ITA Midwest Regional with a semifinal appearance in the A draw, falling only to the region's top-ranked player, Eleanor Coleman.

Dannhauser is not only a top singles player for the Chargers, she also forms a nationally-ranked doubles team with sophomore Briana Rees, who's a strong singles player in her own right who picked up a win in the A bracket as well for the Chargers at the ITA Midwest Regional. Both as a team and individually, Dannhauser and Rees give the Chargers strong point-scoring potential at the top of the lineup.

Where Hillsdale could improve on last season is in its depth. After a solid freshman campaign, sophomore Julia Zlateva looks poised to make a leap in her second season with the Chargers after a strong showing in the B draw of the ITA Midwest regional as well.  

Hillsdale also has a strong group of newcomers. Lamar transfer Emma Palus and freshmen Dimitra Papastavrou and Esther Sura both had several wins this fall and look like they could be competitive in doubles pairings and deeper in the lineup for the Chargers against the other top teams in the conference. Another freshman, Sydney Singh, had several victories in the C draw of the ITA Midwest Regional and has the skill and potential to develop into a contributor in the near future as well.

The Chargers also return two veteran stalwarts in seniors Megan Hackman and Isabella Spinazze. The pair have been unsung heroes for Hillsdale throughout their time in college, fitting in the lineup in a variety of spots as needed and making important contributions, and will be two players the Chargers can rely on when it counts again in 2026.

As Hillsdale hopes to make a run at the title, the Chargers will face a difficult challenge in overtaking the top two programs in the coaches poll, Findlay and Tiffin, who have split the last four G-MAC crowns and finished no lower than third in the standings in that span. The Timberwolves, tied with Hillsdale, are also dangerous with several strong players, and the Chargers can never overlook Walsh, which has been a contender since it joined the G-MAC with Hillsdale in the fall of 2017.  

The Chargers will find out exactly where they stand in conference play right off the bat, opening the conference schedule with three straight matches against the top three votegetters in the preseason poll, beginning with a trip to Midland to play Northwood on March 22. You can find the full schedule here. 


2026 Women's Tennis Coaches Preseason Poll
1. Findlay (6)- 88
2. Tiffin (4)- 85
t3. Northwood-72
t3. Hillsdale-72
5. Walsh- 63
6. Ashland- 44
7. Thomas More- 42
8. Cedarville- 40
9. Kentucky Wesleyan- 26
10. Ursuline-18