The Coastal Carolina University men’s tennis team was picked to finish eighth in the 2005 Big South Conference men’s tennis preseason poll, announced today (Feb. 11) by the league office.

Winthrop was picked to defend its conference championship, earning 15 of the 16 first-place votes and 127 points overall. High Point earned the other first-place vote and had 112 points to finish second. The two teams were followed by Birmingham-Southern (77 points), Radford (69 points), UNC Asheville and Charleston Southern (68 points), Liberty (30 points) and Coastal (25 points)

The Chanticleers return six letterwinners to the 2005 team, including sophomore Simon Taylor (Hampshire, England), who has started the season 3-0 in singles.

Coastal (2-1) travels to Florence, S.C., to face host Francis Marion University Saturday, Feb. 12, at 9 a.m. The Chants then will face Barton at 1 p.m., before returning home to play North Carolina A&T Sunday, Feb. 13, at 2 p.m.