Women's basketball receives first-ever preseason Coaches Poll ranking
TAMPA, OCT. 29, 2015 – The USF women's basketball team, entering its 16th season under Head Coach Jose Fernandez, was ranked No. 19 in the preseason WBCA/USA Today Coaches Poll released Thursday, marking the program's first-ever preseason ranking in the coaches poll.
The Bulls were one of two American Athletic Conference teams ranked in the poll joining three-time defending NCAA champion UConn, which entered at No. 1. USF's 2015-16 schedule includes non-conference match-ups vs. preseason No. 8 Louisville and No. 13 Mississippi State as well as a pair of conference match-ups with UConn.
USF was ranked as high as No. 15 in preseason rankings by national and was voted second in the preseason American Conference Coaches Poll. USF has also appeared in preseason top 25 polls by Sporting News (No. 15), CollegeSportsMadness.com (No. 18), Lindy's Sports (No. 22), ESPN (No. 21) and Athlon (No. 23).
USF is led by preseason first-team American All-Conference selections in senior guard Courtney Williams (Folkston, Ga.) and senior forward Alisia Jenkins (Statesboro, Ga.). Williams earned her second straight all-conference first-team selection last year after leading the conference in scoring at 20.3 ppg and finishing among the top 11 conference leaders in 10 categories. Jenkins was a second-team all-conference pick last year after leading the league in rebounding (11.3 rpg) and averaging a double-double with 12.8 ppg.
Jose Fernandez's 2015 women's basketball team returns all five starters, including All-American Candidate Courtney Williams, from a team that posted a 27-8 (15-3 American) record in 2014-15 and finished the season in the top 25 rankings. The squad finished second behind eventual NCAA champion UConn in the American Athletic Conference and made an exciting NCAA Tournament run that saw USF top LSU in front of 5,560 fans in the Sun Dome in the NCAA regional round.
In 2015-16, the Bulls will be hosting their toughest schedule yet, including the opening rounds of the Preseason WNIT, along with perennial powers Penn State, Chattanooga, Oklahoma State and UConn making trips to Tampa. Season tickets, starting at just $65, are available for purchase online at USFBullsTix.com, by phone at 1-800-GoBulls or in person at the Gate B ticket office of the Sun Dome, with single game tickets going on sale in late September.
USF has made 11 postseason tournament appearances and had three NCAA Tournament berths in Head Coach Jose Fernandez's 15 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to six 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 260 games.
– #GoBulls –
