Laksa, Ferreira Named Preseason All-Conference
PHILADELPHIA OCT. 15, 2017 -- Senior
Kitija Laksa was unanimously picked to the Preseason American Athletic All-Conference first team, while
Laura Ferreira was named to the second team, USF women's basketball under the helm of head coach
Jose Fernandez WAS picked to finish second in the preseason poll.
Ranked as high as 18 in preseason top-25 publications, USF was voted second in the conference with 111 points, and earned one first place vote. The 111 points is the program's highest poll total in league history. Just UConn was picked ahead of the Bulls, who won the 2018 AAC trophy and qualified to the Final Four. USF is ahead of Houston with 95 points and UCF with 92 points.
"Great to see Laura and Kitija get the recognition from our league coaches, they are two great student-athletes on and off the floor," head coach
Jose Fernandez said. "This is how we are traditionally selected, which is a credit to where our program is at and this year's team will strive to continue to meet those expectations."
Laksa (Riga, Latvia) was voted to the preseason first team for the third consecutive year in a row and has received numerous conference accolades over the years including being selected to the American Athletic Conference All-Championship Team last season.
Ferreira (Lisboa, Portugal) returns for her senior season after starting in all 34 games last season, averaging 10 points per game in 35 minutes per game of play. An intense defender, Ferreira will be a leader on the court for the Bulls this season. This is Ferreira's first preseason all-conference honor of her career, and adds the honor to her All-Freshman team award in 2014-15.
UConn's Katie Lou Samuelson was named the Preseason Player of the Year.
Place (First place votes) Points
1. UConn (10) 121
2. USF (1) 111
3. Houston 95
4. UCF 92
5. Cincinnati 74
6. Temple 72
7. SMU 55
8. ECU 46
9. Tulane 42
10. Wichita State 35
11. Memphis 25
12. Tulsa 24
Preseason Player of the Year
Katie Lou Samuelson, UConn
Preseason All-Conference Team
First Team
Napheesa Collier, UConn*
Crystal Dangerfield, UConn
Katie Lou Samuelson, UConn*
Jasmyne Harris, Houston
Kitija Laksa, USF*
Second Team
Angela Harris, Houston
Laura Ferreira, USF
Alicia Froling, SMU
Alliya Butts, Temple
Mia Davis, Temple
*denotes unanimous selection
About Kitija Laksa
With USF, Laksa broke the junior scoring record with 717 points in her junior season. She set two NCAA records in 2017-18, including free-throw percentage with 96.5 percent efficiency, and consecutive three-pointers made in a game with 11 on Dec. 15, 2017. The Riga, Latvia native averaged 21.1 points per game on the year and returns in 2018-19 as the Bulls' leading scorer for her senior season.
Laksa currently ranks sixth in program history on the all-time scoring list, amassing 1,715 points in her career. She will chase the all-time scoring record at USF in 2018-19, currently held by Jessica Dickson (2003-07) with 2,402 points.
She was named to the 2018-19 American Athletic Conference Preseason All-Conference first team, a unanimous selection.
-- #AllAmeriKit --
About USF Women's Basketball
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USF notched its sixth consecutive 20-win season and fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017-18. It marked the ninth 20-win season in program history, with head coach Jose Fernandez at the helm for all nine. The Bulls posted 26 wins in 2017-18, just shy of the program record of 27 set in 2008-09 and 2014-15.
USF has made 14 postseason tournament appearances and had six NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez's 18 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to nine 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 300 games.
--#GoBulls –
