MIDDLETOWN, CT. – For the 10^th year in a row, the fourth-ranked Wesleyan women's tennis team enters the NCAA DIII Tournament in the Second Round as the program's 11^th overall bid. Wesleyan returns to the national stage at the 2026 NESCAC Champions and will face Moravian University on Saturday, May 9, at 10 a.m. in Amherst, MA.., at host No. 16 Amherst College.

2026 NCAA Tournament Bracket

Marking a decade of success at the forefront of DIII tennis, the Cardinals, 18-2 overall, will once again make a run for the national crown. The 2019 National Champions last reached the NCAA tournament finals in 2024, finishing as the runner-up to U. Chicago and played in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals in 2025. The Cardinals have reached the Elite 8 in six straight seasons.

The 2026 NESCAC Champions earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after running undefeated in one of the toughest conferences in the country while under the direction of first-year head coach Steph Yanosov. The NESCAC boasts six NCAA Tournament contenders this year, No. 4 Wesleyan, No. 11 Bowdoin, No. 12 Middlebury, No. 16 Amherst, No. 20 Tufts, and No. 22 Williams. Following conference play, the Cardinals picked up five All-NESCAC selections including Agnes Guggenheim as Rookie of the Year.

Facing 12 Top 20 teams this season, the Cardinals fell only to No. 2 U. Chicago and No. 3 WashU and defeated long-time rival No. 7 Emory twice in the span of two weeks. The Cardinals' success stems from a top-tier recruiting class that has produced three ranked players in No. 22 Guggenheim (16-7), No. 12 Lara Afolayanka '29 (16-4), and No. 31 Mariia Kornilova '29 (21-1) along with senior captain No. 26 Leila Epstein (11-9). In the last 10 matches, Sarah Youngberg '26 is 7-1 with Natalia Leroy '28 on an 8-0 campaign. No. 3 doubles pair Kornilova and Kendall Smith '29 are 13-1
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Awaiting the Cardinals in the Second Round is No. 54 Moravian University. The Greyhounds advance to the Second Round after a First Round sweep of Hunter, 4-0, on Friday morning. The Greyhounds return to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in program history following a 17-3 finish as the Landmark Conference champions. Leading an 8-1 charge in conference play, the Greyhounds defeated top-seeded Scranton for the title.

No. 17 Swarthmore College enters the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row as the Centennial Conference champions, defeating Haverford. Running a 15-6 overall record with perfect marks in the conference, the Garnet boast the Centennial Conference Player of the Year in Lola Diaz and Coaching Staff of the Year, headed by Jeremy Loomis. The Garnet turned out a victory over No. 8 Carnegie Mellon in March.

Facing the Garnet in Round One is Simmons University. The Sharks earned an automatic bid as the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) champions, defeating Husson in October. With a 12-7 overall record and a 5-1 NAC finish, the Sharks enter the bracket for the second consecutive year unranked following the program's first year in the NAC.

Fellow NESCAC rival Amherst College enters the NCAA Tournament as the lone at-large bid in the pod, ranked 16^th in the nation. The Mammoths finished the regular season and conference play with an 11-7 overall record and a 7-3 NESCAC record as the #4 seed in the conference. The Mammoths fell to the Cardinals in both meetings this season including the NESCAC Semifinals but have given the Cardinals quite a hard time. Against ranked opponents, the Mammoths defeated Tufts, Redlands, and Chapman. Following the NESCAC Championship, Mammoths sophomore, No. 4 Tina She was named the NESCAC Player of the Year.

Manhattanville University will face Amherst in the First Round, returning to the NCAA Tournament unranked as the Skyline Conference champions. The Valiants finished 10-2 overall, marking a 6-1 finish in the Skyline as they defeated Farmingdale for the conference title as the second seed back in October. Highlighting the Valiants' lineup is Skyline Player of the Year Adrianna Filipelli.