INDIANAPOLIS – The University of Missouri-St. Louis women's basketball team has been picked to finish third in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Preseason Poll, as announced by the league office on Thursday. The annual GLVC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll was voted on by the league coaches and ranks all 13 teams in predicted order of finish.
Defending GLVC champion Drury was tabbed as the favorite with 144 points, including 12 of the 13 available first-place votes given that Conference bylaws state a school cannot vote for itself. Truman State was picked second, garnering 126 points in the poll. UMSL received 120 points and the final first place vote, Lewis (110) and Rockhurst (87) rounded out the top five.
The top-eight teams with the most points derived from the GLVC Point Rating System at the end of the regular season will earn a berth to the GLVC Basketball Championship Tournament on March 2-5 at a site to be determined.
Under the direction of 11th-year head coach
Katie Vaughn, UMSL is coming off a 23-6 record, including 17-3 in the GLVC, advanced to the semifinal round of the GLVC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in school history.
The Tritons return five players from last year's team including First Team All-GLVC selection
Kiara Stewart and GLVC Freshman of the Year
Mallory Ronshausen along with
Jalysa Stokes who was named to the GLVC All-Freshman team along with Ronshausen. Stewart led UMSL in scoring and rebounding with 13.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest. Ronshausen averaged 9.0 points per game and led the team with 55 three-pointers made. Stokes averaged 8.8 points per game and connected on 47 percent of her attempts from beyond the arc.
The Tritons will begin the 2022-23 season on November 7 with an exhibition game at NCAA DI Eastern Illinois. The season then officially tips off November 11 as UMSL hosts Grand Valley State at 1 p.m. at the Mark Twain Building. The Tritons will also host Davenport November 12 at 1 p.m.
2022-23 GLVC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Drury 144 (12)
2. Truman State 126
3. Missouri-St. Louis 120 (1)
4. Lewis 110
5. Rockhurst 87
6. Indianapolis 83
7. Missouri S&T 75
T8. Maryville 64
T8. Illinois Springfield 64
10. Southwest Baptist 54
11. Quincy 38
12. McKendree 25
13. William Jewell 24
