Illinois State women picked 10th in Valley poll

Posted on October 27, 2015

Colleene Smith started in eight games for Illinois State last season. (Photo courtesy GoRedbirds.com)

ISU Sports Information

ST. LOUIS – The Illinois State women’s basketball team was projected to finish 10th in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll for the 2015-16 season Tuesday, as voted on by the league’s head coaches, sports information directors and media.

PODCAST: Listen to Dick Luedke’s interview with ISU coach Barb Smith and players Colleene Smith and Lexie Taylor.

Illinois State received 48 votes in the poll with its 10th-place selection, a change of pace since ISU has been picked in the top-five in 19 of the 33 preseason polls in conference history. It is the first time in school history that the Redbirds have been picked to finish 10th. The Redbirds were expected to finish ninth over five-straight seasons from 1999-2000 though the 2003-04 season.

Missouri State is the preseason favorite to win the conference with 373 points and 22 first-place votes and is followed by Drake with 347 points and 15 first-place votes. Northern Iowa (320), Southern Illinois (297) and Wichita State (214) round out the top-five teams, collecting one first-place vote apiece.

Evansville is projected to finish sixth (182), with Indiana State (151) following in seventh place. Loyola (142) and Bradley (126) were selected to finish in eighth and ninth, respectively.

Illinois State was selected to finish eighth during the 2014-15 season and ended the regular season in 10th place.

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