Lady Hornets garner No. 3 ranking in top 25 poll
By The Emporia Gazette (Contact)
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
The Emporia State women’s basketball team will start the season ranked No. 3 in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Preseason Top 25. It is the highest preseason ranking ever for ESU.
The Lady Hornets received 577 points and one first-place vote, putting them behind only Grand Valley State (656 points) and the University of North Dakota (613). ESU will face No. 1 Grand Valley State on Dec. 18 in the Northern Kentucky Travel America Classic in Highland Heights, Ky.
This marks the third consecutive season the Lady Hornets have been ranked in the preseason top 10.
Washburn is the only other MIAA team that appears in the poll. The Lady Blues are ranked No. 6 with 468 points.
ESU returns four starters from last year’s team that won the South Central Regional and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. Included in that group is junior Michelle Stueve, who became the first-ever Lady Hornet sophomore to be named a Kodak All-American.
The team opens its season on Sunday with an exhibition game against Kansas State in Manhattan.
ESU begins the regular season in the Candlewood Suites Classic on Nov. 17-18 in White Auditorium.