Baacke, del Mar Sarda Marti, and Awad picked to SAC Preseason Players to Watch List
The three seasoned veterans were announced on Wednesday and are poised to make a run deep into the SAC tournament and NCAA regional.
VIDEO: Hala Awad talks captaincy and player to watch nod
ROCK HILL, S.C. – The three seasoned veterans were announced on Wednesday and are poised to make a run deep into the SAC tournament and NCAA regional.
It was a challenging end to the last season for C-N, who dropped their match in the conference quarterfinals to Coker on the final singles point available. Despite the disappointment, this team is ready to let that turn into motivation. The Carson-Newman Women's Tennis Team returns much of its talent from last season, with an experienced group of leaders ready to hit the court in Spring 2026. If anything showed their dominance, the fall slate was packed with success.
"Everyone this year is back and better to do way better than we did. Of course, we did our best last time, but this time we have even more motivation," said senior captain Hala Awad.
At the Fall ITA Southeast Regional this past fall, all-conference selection Maria de Mar Sarda Marti got through to the round of 16. Not only that, but the combination of her and Kira Baacke was excellent in the B-Flight Doubles, taking home the title.
Del Mar Sarda was also selected to the preseason watch list thanks to her experience collected last season. As a junior, she was 16-1 in her matches, seeing time at the three, four, five, and six singles slots. In SAC play, del Mar Sarda was 8-1. She dominated with Emma Sanchez Jimenez at the second doubles spot as well. At 9-3 in their matches, the pair was also 4-1 in SAC play, good enough to earn an all-conference selection.
As the senior moves into her final year, she and Kira Baacke look to do much of the same on the doubles front.
To that end, Baacke was also a key piece of the Eagles' lineup last season as a freshman and will look to make an impact with a year of college tennis under her belt. Baacke was 4-2 in her singles matches and was undefeated in SAC play.
She also spent time with quite a few different doubles pairs, most notably with Sindija Manovska and Edisa Hot at first doubles, where they went 2-2 and 4-3, respectively.
Rounding out the Eagles player to watch for the Spring of 2026 is senior captain Hala Awad. Awad was a major contributor last season for the Eagles with a 8-3 record in singles overall and was 5-0 in her SAC matches. She played both at second and third singles.
The senior captain will also see time in the doubles lineup after holding multiple different doubles partners last season, but found major success and second and third doubles with Leah McBride. The pair was 6-3 in their matches last year.
"It's a big responsibility to be a part of this team and be a leader, but I am excited. I just want to give it my all," said Awad. "I want to give the most wins to this team, and I am excited to have the journey with them. These girls are amazing."
As a captain, Awad will step into a new leadership role for a team that head coach Nate Gangelhoff calls "passionate."
"The girls are really fun. We all have big energy. We all just want to give it all and do our best because this team deserves better. Everyone wants to be on this team," said Awad.
The Eagles' first serve takes place on February 7th against Cumberland (Ky.). For updates, follow @CN_Eagles on X and Instagram, or Carson-Newman Athletics on Facebook. Full coverage is also available at cneagles.com.
