HPU Women’s Basketball Picked Second In The Big South Preseason Poll

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University women’s basketball team has been picked second in the Big South preseason poll, the league office announced at its media day Monday.

HPU received three of a possible 11 first place votes and 110 points overall after winning the league’s regular season championship in 2013-14. Perennial Big South contender Liberty finished just ahead of HPU, receiving five first place votes and 113 points.

Defending Big South Tournament Champion Winthrop finished in third place just behind High Point with three first-place votes and 104 points. Campbell was picked fourth while Coastal Carolina was selected fifth and Gardner-Webb was picked in sixth. UNC Asheville, Presbyterian College, Radford, Longwood and Charleston Southern round out the preseason poll.

High Point returns all five starters from the 2013-14 team, which set an HPU Div. I record with 22 wins and claimed the Big South Regular Season Championship with a 16-4 league record. In all, High Point brings back 89.6 percent of its scoring and 83.8 percent of its rebounding from a year ago.

Sophomore Kaylah Keys was named the 2013-14 Big South Preseason Player of the Year after a successful freshman campaign that saw her average 17.7 points per game and set HPU Div. I single-season records in scoring (583), made three-pointers (73) and made free throws (148). She finished second in the Big South in scoring and was named first-team All-Big South and the Big South Freshman of the Year.

Redshirt-senior Stacia Robertson joins Keys on the 2014-15 Big South Preseason All-Conference team. Robertson was second on the team in scoring with 12.7 points per game and led the Panthers with 8.8 rebounds per game. She posted 10 double-doubles and currently ranks in the top 10 in career blocks, rebounds and field goal percentage at High Point.

HPU also brings back seniors Latrice Phelps and Ashante Richard and sophomore Teddy Vincent from last year’s starting lineup as well as redshirt-senior Lindsay Puckett and sophomores Maja Michalska and DeAnneisha Jackson off the bench.

The returning veterans will be joined by a group of seven newcomers that includes two junior-college transfers, four freshmen and senior Katie Vincent, who will join the team after the conclusion of the HPU volleyball season.

2014-15 Big South Preseason Poll
1. Liberty (5) – 113
2. High Point (3) – 110
3. Winthrop (3) – 104
4. Campbell – 89
5. Coastal Carolina – 64
6. Gardner-Webb – 56
7. UNC Asheville – 55
8. Presbyterian College – 54
9. Radford – 35
10. Longwood – 30
11. Charleston Southern – 16

Note: points are based on a weighted system. First-place votes received 11 points, followed by 10 points for second-place, and so on.