Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest Announces 2026 Fall Schedule
9/8/2026 2:45:00 PM | Women's Tennis
The Demon Deacons will compete in eight tournaments throughout the fall slate.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Wake Forest women's tennis team unveiled its fall schedule for the 2026 season on Tuesday, as announced by head coach Jeff Wyshner.
"I'm excited for this fall's schedule," said Wyshner. "It is a good mix of fall tournaments along with different NCAA individual championship qualifiers. With four new faces, every day we have on the court this fall is going to be important. We have to get the most out of every single day. We're off to a great start the last couple weeks of practice and we're looking forward to getting started at Furman and All-Americans in mid-September."
The Deacs open fall play this upcoming weekend as they travel to Greenville, S.C., for the 39th annual Debbie Southern Furman Fall Classic, which will be held from Sept. 11-13. The Demon Deacons return to action a week later at the ITA All-American Championships in Cary, N.C. Taking place from Sept. 19-27, the tournament will begin with a pre-qualifying stage, followed by two days of qualifying before the main draw begins on Sept. 24. Ten singles players will qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship and four doubles teams will qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championship through the All-American Championships.
Wake Forest continues its fall slate with three tournaments in the month of October. First, the Demon Deacons head to Montgomery, Ala., to compete in the Blue Gray Classic for the first time since the 2023 season. The Deacs then head back to South Carolina for the ITA Regional Championships, which will be held from Oct. 15-20 in Columbia, S.C., giving the Deacs another opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships. Wake Forest concludes the month of October at the UTR PTT at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn. from Oct. 26-Nov. 1.
A day after returning from Knoxville, the Deacs will kick off the month of November with another UTR PTT tournament at UNC from Nov. 2-8. Meanwhile, the Demon Deacons will seek final opportunities to qualify for the NCAA Individual Championships at the ITA Sectional Championships, which is set for Nov. 5-8 in Philadelphia. Only singles players and doubles teams that have made notable, deep runs at the ITA All-American or Regional Championships will be eligible for participation.
To cap off the fall, players who qualify for the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships will compete from Nov. 17-22 at the Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.
2026-27 Women's Tennis Overview
Entering his 17th year with the Demon Deacons, head coach Jeff Wyshner returns five players from last year's squad. Seniors Sankavi Gownder and Aubrey Nisbet return for their final season at Wake Forest. Notably, Gownder returns after posting a 17-1 record in singles during her junior campaign, including a perfect 6-0 record against ACC opponents.
Juniors Kady Tannenbaum and Heidi Bulger return to Winston-Salem following solid sophomore campaigns last spring. Tannenbaum totaled eight singles wins while also tallying a 13-9 record in doubles in dual play, while Bulger logged five solo wins while appearing in all 26 matches in her first season with the Deacs.
Evie Oxford is the lone returning freshman from last season, having impressed in her debut season. The Dallas native led the team with an 18-2 record in the spring, including going 8-1 in conference action.
Wake Forest also welcomes four new faces to the squad this upcoming season, including North Carolina transfer Claire Hill and freshmen Bella Mariona, Catherine Rennard and Lillian Santos.
Spring 2026 Highlights
Women's Tennis 2026 Fall Schedule
"I'm excited for this fall's schedule," said Wyshner. "It is a good mix of fall tournaments along with different NCAA individual championship qualifiers. With four new faces, every day we have on the court this fall is going to be important. We have to get the most out of every single day. We're off to a great start the last couple weeks of practice and we're looking forward to getting started at Furman and All-Americans in mid-September."
The Deacs open fall play this upcoming weekend as they travel to Greenville, S.C., for the 39th annual Debbie Southern Furman Fall Classic, which will be held from Sept. 11-13. The Demon Deacons return to action a week later at the ITA All-American Championships in Cary, N.C. Taking place from Sept. 19-27, the tournament will begin with a pre-qualifying stage, followed by two days of qualifying before the main draw begins on Sept. 24. Ten singles players will qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship and four doubles teams will qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championship through the All-American Championships.
Wake Forest continues its fall slate with three tournaments in the month of October. First, the Demon Deacons head to Montgomery, Ala., to compete in the Blue Gray Classic for the first time since the 2023 season. The Deacs then head back to South Carolina for the ITA Regional Championships, which will be held from Oct. 15-20 in Columbia, S.C., giving the Deacs another opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships. Wake Forest concludes the month of October at the UTR PTT at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn. from Oct. 26-Nov. 1.
A day after returning from Knoxville, the Deacs will kick off the month of November with another UTR PTT tournament at UNC from Nov. 2-8. Meanwhile, the Demon Deacons will seek final opportunities to qualify for the NCAA Individual Championships at the ITA Sectional Championships, which is set for Nov. 5-8 in Philadelphia. Only singles players and doubles teams that have made notable, deep runs at the ITA All-American or Regional Championships will be eligible for participation.
To cap off the fall, players who qualify for the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships will compete from Nov. 17-22 at the Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.
2026-27 Women's Tennis Overview
Entering his 17th year with the Demon Deacons, head coach Jeff Wyshner returns five players from last year's squad. Seniors Sankavi Gownder and Aubrey Nisbet return for their final season at Wake Forest. Notably, Gownder returns after posting a 17-1 record in singles during her junior campaign, including a perfect 6-0 record against ACC opponents.
Juniors Kady Tannenbaum and Heidi Bulger return to Winston-Salem following solid sophomore campaigns last spring. Tannenbaum totaled eight singles wins while also tallying a 13-9 record in doubles in dual play, while Bulger logged five solo wins while appearing in all 26 matches in her first season with the Deacs.
Evie Oxford is the lone returning freshman from last season, having impressed in her debut season. The Dallas native led the team with an 18-2 record in the spring, including going 8-1 in conference action.
Wake Forest also welcomes four new faces to the squad this upcoming season, including North Carolina transfer Claire Hill and freshmen Bella Mariona, Catherine Rennard and Lillian Santos.
Spring 2026 Highlights
- The Demon Deacons finished the 2026 season with a 13-13 record.
- Wake Forest won its opening match of the ACC Tournament for the second consecutive season as they defeated Miami by a score of 4-1 in the first round.
- Sankavi Gownder recorded the second-highest winning percentage in program history as she went 17-1 (.944) in dual play last season.
- Gownder sits just behind Wake Forest Hall of Famer Bea Bielek's .946 mark in 2002.
- Additionally, Gownder became the first Demon Deacon in 26 years to finish with a perfect record against ACC opponents, ending the spring season with a 6-0 conference record.
- Freshman Evie Oxford led the Deacs in wins during the spring, finishing the season with an 18-2 record.
- Oxford dominated in conference play, ending the conference slate with an 8-1 record in completed matches.
- In doubles, the Demon Deacons combined for 29 wins.
- The duo of Kady Tannenbaum and Nevena Carton led the Deacs with a 12-8 record last season, including four wins over nationally ranked opponents.
- In total, three Deacs finished the season with double-digit singles wins.
- Evie Oxford - 18 wins
- Sankavi Gownder - 17 wins
- Nevena Carton - 10 wins
Women's Tennis 2026 Fall Schedule
| Dates | Event | Location |
| Sept. 11-13 | Debbie Southern Furman Fall Classic | Greenville, S.C. |
| Sept. 19-27 | ITA All-American Championships | Cary, N.C. |
| Oct. 2-4 | Blue Gray Classic | Montgomery, Ala. |
| Oct. 15-20 | ITA Regional Championships | Columbia, S.C. |
| Oct. 26-Nov. 1 | UTR PTT at UT | Knoxville, Tenn. |
| Nov. 2-8 | UTR PTT at UNC | Chapel Hill, N.C. |
| Nov. 5-8 | ITA Sectional Championships | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Nov. 17-22 | NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships | Athens, Ga. |
Players Mentioned
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