2026 SSC Women’s Tennis Tournament Bracket Announced
All six squads enter tournament in national rankings.
A.J. Vazquez, Communications Contractor
Founded in 1975, Sunshine State Conference member institutions have won a total of 138 NCAA national championships across 15 sports and boast an NCAA Division II leading 89% Academic Success Rate. In 2025-26, the SSC marks its 50th anniversary, reflecting on a proud history of athletic and academic excellence.
ORLANDO, Fla. — The 42nd Sunshine State Conference Women’s Tennis Championship opens April 24 and runs through April 26 at the NSU Tennis Center at Rolling Hills in Davie, Florida. The tournament begins with seeds No. 3 through No. 6 competing in the opening round, while the top two seeds receive first-round byes. The final day features a third-place match at 9 a.m., followed by the championship at 1 p.m.
The SSC continues to set the standard in Division II women’s tennis. Conference programs have captured every national championship since 2017, and all six teams in this year’s field are ranked in the top 20 of the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll. The conference also features seven nationally ranked singles players and three ranked doubles pairs, including the top two singles players in the country in Nova Southeastern University’s Kristyna Hranacova and Lynn University’s Salma Djoubri.
At the top of the bracket, Barry enters as the No. 1 seed after securing its ninth regular-season title with a perfect 9-0 mark in conference play. The Buccaneers are ranked No. 1 nationally and are led by No. 6 Dana Heimen. Barry has won 16 SSC tournament titles, including each of the last five, and has captured seven national championships since 2017.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University claims the No. 2 seed following an 8-1 conference season, with its only loss coming against Barry. The Eagles enter the postseason ranked No. 3 nationally and feature No. 20 Amelie Gindl.
The opening round features two matchups between top-10 programs. No. 3 seed Florida Southern College faces No. 6 seed Rollins College, with the Mocs ranked No. 8 nationally, while the Tars are No. 10. Rollins won the earlier meeting between the two this season.
In the other first-round match, No. 4 Nova Southeastern takes on No. 5 Lynn. The Sharks are led by the nation’s top-ranked singles player, Kristyna Hranacova, who also forms the No. 1 doubles team in the country alongside Katja Marcus. Lynn enters ranked No. 17 nationally and features No. 2 Salma Djoubri. The Knights are the only program besides Barry to win an SSC title since 2019.
Tiebreaking procedures were conducted by SSC staff in accordance with conference seeding protocols.
The tournament champion will earn an automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Division II Women’s Tennis Championship. Regional competition will be held May 8-12 at non-predetermined sites, with the finals scheduled for May 19-23 at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex in Surprise. The championships will be hosted by the Pacific West Conference and the City of Surprise, with selections announced May 5.