Preseason CCS polls released earlier in the women’s tennis season brought pressure to the Lady Lions as they came in second behind new CCS member Asbury.
Asbury joined the conference this 2024-2025 season. Despite Piedmont’s dominant run for two consecutive seasons as conference champions, Asbury obtained six first place votes to secure the preseason poll’s number one spot.
“I do not think anyone was surprised, but it did light a flame inside us,” said junior captain Sarah Row. “Piedmont has been a dominant force in our conference for years, and just because we lost some good players didn’t mean our run was over.”
Despite having beaten Asbury in the previous year, there was still work that needed to be put in for the Lions to jump back to the top of the podium.
“I think that it challenged us,” said Row. “We had beaten them last year, but we lost half of our starters from last year, and in order to have a successful season, everyone on the team was going to have to step up.
They did just that.
The Lady Lions proved themselves on the court going undefeated in conference play 7-0, with Asbury trailing at 5-1 in the conference. This was enough for the Lady Lions to defy preseason rankings and capture the regular season title for the third year in a row.
“We are excited and happy, but we know the job is not done,” said Row.
The conference championship will begin April 24 at Chattanooga Champions Club, where the Lions will try to defend another conference title.
