CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The App State tennis team begins its 2026 season Saturday on the road against No. 3 North Carolina. First serve is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
On the Mountaineers
App State starts the dual-match season following a historic fall campaign from
Savannah Dada-Mascoll. Now ranked No. 5 in the nation, Dada-Mascoll defeated nine ranked opponents, including then-No. 1 DJ Bennett, en route to becoming an NCAA singles quarterfinalist and earning All-American honors.
The Mountaineers are coming off a record-breaking 2025 season in which the program earned 17 wins. That run included nine Sun Belt Conference victories, eight of which were consecutive, as part of a 10-match winning streak.
This year's roster retains six players: Dada-Mascoll,
Ruby Broadbent,
Alexi Cleveland,
Naledi Manyube,
Taya Powell and
Isabela Romanichen. Third-year head coach
Hannah Fetters also added two newcomers to the squad,
Sreenidhi Balaji and
Allegra Hodson.
On the Tar Heels
North Carolina enters the season after winning back-to-back ACC titles. Last season, the Tar Heels reached the NCAA Final Four before falling to Georgia.
The Tar Heels feature five players in the ITA singles rankings, headlined by All-American and No. 1-ranked Reese Brantmeier, who won the NCAA singles championship this past fall.
Next Up
Following the season opener, the Mountaineers will travel to Blacksburg, Va. to face a second consecutive ACC opponent in Virginia Tech. That match is slated for Jan. 24 at noon.
