Brunswick, Ga. – The College of Coastal Georgia has been ranked 12
th in the 2026-27 NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll. Expectations are high for
Courtney Rutherford's second season in Brunswick as he is set to compete with a talented team featuring the likes of seniors
Felicia Elixmann,
Luna Feillon,
Karlie Scott Kersey and
Gabriella Rodrigues and newcomer Versace Gatti, recently ranked in the top 25 individually by the NAIA.
"We are very excited for the start of the upcoming season," explained Rutherford. "We have a lot of team leadership with the likes of our seniors
Felicia Elixmann,
Luna Feillon,
Karlie Scott Kersey and
Gabriella Rodrigues. Versace Gatti will be our number one and was just ranked 24
th in the NAIA. I think we have a great group and everyone is working hard towards our goals."
Around campus, there is excitement around the program.
"This could be the most talented tennis team from either gender we've ever had at Coastal Georgia. Four of our top six are currently ranked top 25 in the ITA Southeast regional rankings, led by Versace Gatti ranked 24th in the nation. Coach Rutherford has made excellent use of transfers, building a roster that would be competitive at any level," added CCGA Director of Athletics Zack Rogers.
| RANK |
INSTITUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] |
2025 RECORD |
| 1 |
Keiser (Fla.) [11] |
24-1 |
| 2 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
17-2 |
| 3 |
Tennessee Wesleyan |
20-2 |
| 4 |
Xavier (La.) |
19-8 |
| 5 |
William Carey (Miss.) |
18-2 |
| 6 |
Southeastern (Fla.) |
14-6 |
| 7 |
LSU Alexandria (La.) |
11-6 |
| 8 |
Georgia Gwinnett |
9-8 |
| 9 |
Cumberlands (Ky.) |
17-5 |
| 10 |
Marian (Ind.) |
17-7 |
| 11 |
SCAD (Ga.) |
8-7 |
| 12 |
Coastal Georgia |
12-8 |
| 13 |
Goshen (Ind.) |
14-7 |
| 14 |
Loyola (La.) |
10-8 |
| 15 |
Morningside (Iowa) |
26-2 |
| 16 |
Texas A&M -Texarkana |
21-7 |
| 17 |
St. Thomas (Fla.) |
7-8 |
| 18 |
Cumberland (Tenn.) |
11-10 |
| 18 |
Holy Cross (Ind.) |
8-6 |
| 20 |
Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) |
11-5 |
| 21 |
Stanton (Calif.) |
10-6 |
| 22 |
Oklahoma Wesleyan |
13-4 |
| 23 |
Louisiana Christian |
13-7 |
| 23 |
Texas Wesleyan |
20-4 |
| 25 |
New College of Florida |
5-12 |
Receiving Votes: Bethel (Ind.), Bethel (Kan.), Bethel (Tenn.), Brenau (Ga.), Campbellsville (Ky.), Concordia (Neb.), Dillard (La.), Doane (Neb.), Huntington (Ind.), Indiana Wesleyan, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho), McPherson (Kan.), Missouri Baptist, Mobile (Ala.), Tennessee Southern, William Woods (Mo.)
Records as reported by NAIA member institutions to NAIAStats on PrestoSports.
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small college athletics programs dedicated to character-driven, education-based athletics. Since 1937, the NAIA has balanced high-level competition with holistic student-athlete development through its commitment to The Right Way to Play®. Each year more than 87,000 NAIA student-athletes compete in college athletics, earn over $1.3 billion in financial aid, and pursue opportunities to participate in 30 national championships. naia.org | @NAIA | #TheRightWayToPlay
