JACKSONVILLE (January 6, 2026) – The Atlantic Sun Conference announced its 2026 preseason awards for women's tennis Tuesday morning with North Alabama's Eeva Ristola selected to the All-ASUN team.

FGCU's Nora Svennson was tabbed the ASUN Preseason Player of the Year. The seven-person preseason team also included FGCU's Anjali Kotecha, North Florida's Laurie Barendse, Stetson's Lulia Andreea Ionescu and Lipscomb's Mariaa Dolzhenko and Sofiia Paladi.

Ristola heads into the new year looking to repeat her sensational season from Spring 2025. The senior had a successful fall season and will look to lead the Lions into the Spring. Last season, Ristola was a key piece on a UNA team that finished 19-6 overall with a run to the ASUN Championship Final and a second round appearance in the NIT.

The Kotka, Finland native won 33 matches in Spring 2025 with 19 doubles and 14 singles victories. The doubles extraordinaire won an additional 17 matches in ASUN contests with nine singles and eight doubles triumphs. Ristola cemented her season with a 2025 ASUN Doubles Pair of the Year award alongside former standout Stanislava Bobrovnikova.

Her Fall 2025 campaign resulted in 16 wins with eight victories in singles and doubles. The highlight of Ristola's fall came in a third-place finish in the 2025 Conference Individual Tournament.

Ristola and UNA are set to begin the Spring 2026 season this month with the schedule to be released in the coming days.


2026 Women's Tennis Preseason Awards

Preseason Player of the Year: Nora Svennson, FGCU

Preseason All-ASUN Team
Nora Svennson, FGCU
Anjali Kotecha, FGCU
Mariia Dolzhenko, Lipscomb
Sofiia Paladi, Lipscomb
Eeva Ristola, North Alabama
Laurie Barendse, North Florida
Lulia Andreea Ionescu, Stetson

* A tie in voting resulted in a seven-person Preseason All-ASUN Team.

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