Air Force Women’s Tennis will begin its 2026 dual season with matches against Southern Methodist University (SMU) on Jan. 16 and No. 2 ranked Texas A&M on Jan. 18, according to an announcement released Jan. 15.
The opening weekend is significant as the Falcons face two strong programs from major conferences, marking a challenging start to their spring schedule.
Last season, Air Force recorded its largest single-season turnaround in program history, finishing ninth in the final ITA Mountain Region rankings for 2025. Under head coach Taylor Hollander’s leadership in his second year, the team improved from last place in the previous season to a record of 12-14 overall and went 4-6 against Mountain West opponents. The Falcons ended their campaign as the seventh seed in the Mountain West Championship, defeating New Mexico and then earning a notable victory over No. 69 Nevada—their highest-seeded postseason win since 2017.
Doubles partners Arianna Van Houweling and Nadia Kojonroj were named All-Mountain West selections after finishing ninth in regional doubles rankings with a record of nine wins and five losses during dual play. Their efforts helped Air Force secure ten consecutive doubles points to close out last season.
Recruiting has also been strong for Air Force: The incoming class of freshmen was ranked tenth among mid-major women’s classes by Tennis Recruiting Network for the Class of 2029—its best-ever showing—and included Jariahlyn Rhoades, Yule Kang, and Alba Martinez who together posted solid records during fall competition.
Senior captain Van Houweling enters this year ranked No.120 nationally as a singles player after closing last year with seven wins in her final ten matches. Senior Abby Cotuna returns to compete after previously being named three-time Mountain West Freshman of the Week; she recently won her bracket at the ITA Bedford Cup following a successful tryout period.
The Falcons’ spring schedule features five teams that made last year’s NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championship field—including national runner-up Texas A&M—and several other nationally ranked opponents such as Oklahoma and San Diego State.
SMU enters its first Atlantic Coast Conference season under new head coach Kelcy McKenna after finishing last year ranked fiftieth nationally with a record matching Air Force’s at twelve wins and fourteen losses. Meanwhile, Texas A&M comes off back-to-back appearances in national championship matches—winning one title—and maintains an impressive seventy-one match home winning streak.
