ATLANTA — The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced Friday that the
Virginia State University men’s tennis program will join the SIAC as an affiliate member for the 2026-27 season.
The addition of Virginia State brings the conference’s men’s tennis membership to five programs and provides the Trojans with an opportunity to compete in the SIAC beginning this fall.
“We are thrilled to announce that Virginia State University’s men’s tennis team will join the SIAC as an affiliate member for the 2026-27 academic year,” said SIAC Commissioner
Anthony Holloman, Ed.D. “As one of the premier athletic conferences, the SIAC provides a unique blend of deep-rooted tradition, high-level competition and increased visibility for student-athletes.”
For Virginia State, the affiliation creates additional opportunities for its men’s tennis student-athletes while strengthening the program’s connection to the broader HBCU athletics community.
“We are grateful to Commissioner Anthony Holloman and the SIAC Council of Presidents for welcoming Virginia State as an affiliate member in men’s tennis,” said Virginia State Associate Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics
Tiffani-Dawn Sykes. “As one of the nation’s oldest HBCU athletic conferences, the SIAC has built a rich tradition of excellence and has played an important role in the history of HBCU athletics. Joining the SIAC enhances the student-athlete experience by providing our men’s tennis student-athletes with the opportunity to compete for conference championships while also strengthening our efforts to recruit, retain and support outstanding student-athletes. We are excited to compete against the conference’s outstanding member institutions and look forward to building lasting relationships across the SIAC.”
The Trojans return four players this season under head coach
Chavez Mabry, who is entering his fifth season leading the program.
“This is a great day for the tennis program and the university,” said Mabry. “The men can now not only compete at a high level but compete for a championship as a member of a conference rather than as an independent. Tiffani-Dawn Sykes has done it again, continuing to elevate the level of our athletic programs and creating greater opportunities for our student-athletes.”
The Virginia State men’s tennis program will make its SIAC debut at the 2026 SIAC Men’s and Women’s Tennis Fall Open, scheduled for Oct. 28-30 at the South Fulton Tennis Center in South Fulton, Georgia.
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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is an NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) headquartered in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and eight women's sports and is a proud member of NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
www.thesiac.com.