Oct. 30, 2013
Valley Preseason Release
CHICAGO - The Illinois State women's basketball team was projected to finish eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll for the 2013-14 season Wednesday, as voted on by the league's head coaches, sports information directors and media.
Illinois State received 166 votes in the poll with its eighth-place selection, a change of pace since ISU has been picked in the top-five in 19 of the 31 preseason polls in conference history. It is the first time in school history that the Redbirds have been picked to finish eighth and is ISU's lowest preseason projection since the 2003-04 season, when Illinois State was selected to finish ninth. The 2003-04 squad went on to end the conference season in fifth place.
Indiana State is the preseason favorite to win the conference with 378 points and 26 first-place votes and is followed closely by Wichita State (360). The Shockers garnered 13 first-place votes, while Northern Iowa (259), Drake (221) and Missouri State (216) rounded out the top-five teams. New-league member Loyola (211) is projected to finish sixth and collected one first-place vote.
Bradley (194) was seeded seventh in the preseason poll, while the Redbirds finished ahead of Evansville (104) and Southern Illinois (91), who occupy the final two spots in the preseason poll.
Illinois State was selected to finish third during the 2012-13 season and ended the regular season in its preseason projected spot. The Redbirds have won at least 12 Valley games in each of the last seven years.
2013-14 Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Indiana State (26) ........378
2. Wichita State (13) .........360
3. UNI .............................259
4. Drake ..........................221
5. Missouri State ...............216
6. Loyola (1) ....................211
7. Bradley.........................194
8. Illinois State .................166
9. Evansville .....................104
10. Southern Illinois.............91
2013-14 Women's Basketball Preseason All-Conference
Kyndal Clark, Drake
Alex Harden, Wichita State (Preseason Player of the Year)
Simone Law, Loyola
Cartaesha Macklin, Southern Illinois
Anna Munn, Indiana State
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
