The Northern Sun Conference has released the 2022 Preseason Women's Tennis Coaches' Poll and Upper Iowa has been selected ninth in the 12-team field.
 
Augustana University was picked at the top of the poll after claiming the last 11 NSIC Championships. The Vikings have won 129 consecutive NSIC regular season matches.
 
Augie amassed 121 points and all 11 first place votes after going 18-3 and 11-0 in the NSIC in 2021 and making an appearance in the NCAA Central Region Tournament. Winona State was second with 102 points and the other first place vote (coaches cannot vote for their own team). Upper Iowa had 51 points in the poll, nine points behind a tie for seventh place between Bemidji State University and the University of Sioux Falls and four points ahead of the University of Minnesota Duluth in tenth.  
 
"I am excited to see this this team continue to progress after a satisfying fall season," said Head Coach Léo Millet. "We definitely have a strong group of young players, and we will need to keep working hard, play for each other and focus on the process to achieve our goals. We know this conference will be extremely competitive this season, and we are looking forward to compete and represent UIU proudly."
 
The Peacocks are prepared to get back in action this spring with a competitive young crew under Millet, who leads UIU in his sixth season at the helm. The Peacocks finished the 2020-21 season with a 2-12 record overall and a 2-9 mark in the NSIC. Five of UIU's regular six competitors held freshman designations last season. Varvara Ogorodnikova, Mya Herrmann, and Elaina Wall were in their second year with the Peacocks after their first season was cut short due to the pandemic, while Jessa Michieli and Lina Ziani were competing in their inaugural intercollegiate campaigns.
 
Ogorodnikova led Upper Iowa with a 7-5 singles record after going 3-4 in No. 1 singles and 4-1 in No. 2 singles. The Samara, Russia native also finished with a 7-5 doubles record after going 2-3 in No. 1 doubles and 5-2 in No. 2 doubles. Ogorodnikova and Ziani were UIU's best doubles duo with a 7-5 record as they finished the season on a five-match win streak in No. 2 doubles competition. Ziani and Michieli each finished with a 4-10 singles record, with Michieli playing in No. 1, 2, and 3 singles as she worked her way up throughout the season.
 
Current freshman Charalampia Grammatikaki and junior Padmasree Murugan are newcomers who have made immediate impacts as UIU went 2-2 in fall competition and competed against NCAA DI opponents in the Drake Invitational.
 
Grammatikaki was named as an NSIC Player to Watch heading into the spring. The first-year Peacock from Athens, Greece posted a record of 6-2 in singles including a 3-1 mark at No. 1 in UIU's four doubles in fall competition. She only dropped two of her nine sets at No. 1 in the four duals. Grammatikaki went 3-1 in singles at the Drake Invitational against NCAA DI opponents in her first collegiate contests. The right-hander registered a 1-2 mark at No. 1 doubles in the four fall duals with partner Jessa Michieli, and a 1-0 mark at No. 2 doubles with Lina Ziani.
 
"Chara is an extremely talented player, who just joined us as a freshman this fall," said Millet. "She works really hard on and off the court and has already demonstrated an impressive competitive and fighting spirit during our fall season. As a true freshman, she is already showing some impressive skills on the court, but is also continuously looking to improve her game and be a better version of herself. I am looking forward to see her compete this spring."

The Peacocks open their NSIC schedule this Saturday and Sunday against the University of Mary and Minnesota State University Moorhead on Feb. 5-6 in Winona, Minn. at the Winona Tennis Center.
 
The 2022 NSIC Women's Tennis Tournament will consist of the top eight teams in the final NSIC standings competing in a single elimination format on April 22-24 at Huether Family Match Pointe in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.