SoCon coaches pick Bucs sixth, league media tabs team fifth

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 15, 2014) – With the start of the 2014-15 season drawing near, the ETSU women’s basketball team was selected to finish sixth by the league’s head coaches and fifth by the conference media while senior forward Serena Clark (Stone Mountain, Ga.) was named to the preseason all-conference team, the Southern Conference announced Wednesday.

Coaches from each of the eight participating SoCon institutions attended the 2014 Women’s Basketball Tip-Off Wednesday at the Lioncrest facility on the Biltmore Estate. The head coaches held their annual preseason gathering prior to meeting with select members of the media to preview the 2014-15 season. ETSU head coach Brittney Ezell looks forward to the Bucs new home in the SoCon.

“It’s exciting to be back home in the Southern Conference,” said Ezell. “We look forward to competing against the quality teams that our league has and to continue to grow our program. Our mission for the season is to get better each and every day and to be a contender in our conference.”     

Joining ETSU redshirt senior forward Clark on the 10-member all-conference team are student-athletes from each of the seven other league institutions including Furman’s Brittany Hodges who was selected as the SoCon Preseason Player of the Year by the coaches. Clark will enter the 2014-15 campaign after averaging a double-double of 10.6 points and 10.0 rebounds per game a year ago.

Chattanooga was selected by both the Southern Conference women’s basketball coaches and league media as the preseason favorite for the 2014-15 season.

UTC, the two-time defending Southern Conference champion, received four of the eight first-place coaches’ votes for a total of 46 points. The Mocs, led by second-year head coach Jim Foster, return three of their five starters from last season’s squad that rattled off 25 straight wins during the 2013-14 campaign. Foster is the first Division I head coach to lead four different schools to the NCAA Tournament, after taking the Mocs to big dance last season.

Furman finished just two points shy of Chattanooga in the preseason ranking, earning 44 points with a pair of first-place votes. The Paladins, who return four starters in 2014-15, compiled a 12-6 conference record a year ago to finish second in the SoCon regular season. They are led by reigning SoCon Coach of the Year Jackie Carson, who enters her fifth season at the helm of the Paladins.

Samford also received two first-place votes and totaled 37 points to rank third. SoCon newcomer Mercer followed in fourth with 30 points, while Western Carolina came fifth with 24 points. ETSU (19), Wofford (13) and UNCG (11) rounded out the poll, coming in sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively.

2014-15 SoCon Women’s Basketball Coaches Preseason Poll

2014-15 SoCon Women’s Basketball Media Preseason Poll

Preseason All-Conference Team

Brittany Hodges, Furman

Holli Wilkins, Furman

Taylor Reece, Samford

Precious Bridges, Mercer

Lucy Mason, UNCG

Serena Clark, ETSU

Chelsey Shumpert, UTC

Hannah Nichols, Samford

Justin Taylor, Western Carolina

Jordan Frazier, Wofford

Preseason Player of the Year

Brittany Hodges, Furman

For more information on ETSU women’s basketball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women’s hoops link. Learn more about the 2014-15 team here. Season tickets can be purchased here.

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