HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Coker College women's tennis team earned a top five spot in the 2012 Conference Carolinas Women's Tennis Preseason Coaches Poll released on Tuesday. The Cobra women were slated for the fifth position according to the voting cast by league coaches. 

The Coker women will be a strong contender in Conference Carolinas this season with the return of all but one player from 2011, including the Conference Player of the Year, Alyssa Blanchard. The senior played No. 1 singles and doubles for the Cobras in 2011, losing just six matches total (11-2 singles, 10-4 doubles). She also put together an amazing string of 10 consecutive singles victories from Feb. 22 to April 2.

As a team the Cobras are led by first year head coach Tom Simpson and three seniors, Blanchard, Stephanie Medley and Brittanny Yando. Along with the return of sophomores Cora Berna and Faith Baxley and the addition of freshman Kayla Meermans and junior Kim Surette, the Cobras are poised for a very successful 2012 campaign.

The Cobra women will open there season on Tuesday, Feb. 7 when they travel to North Greenville University to take on the Crusaders in a Conference Carolinas match at 3 p.m.

Women's Tennis Overall Preseason Poll (# of First place votes in parenthesis)