RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — On Wednesday, the Great American Conference (GAC) released the league's 2025 Preseason Coaches Poll for the upcoming Women's Basketball season. Second-year head coach Darrick Matthews gears up for the new season as his Muleriders were voted tenth overall in the preseason poll with 43 points.
Southern Arkansas enters the new season after finishing its 2024-25 campaign in Fort Smith, Arkansas at the Great American Conference Championship Tournament. The Blue and Gold finished last season at 14-15 with a 9-14 record in the GAC.
Matthews returns just five previous members of the 24-25 Mulerider squad, with three that saw plenty of playing in Marlee Bright, Elena Lijo-Rodriguez, and Johnna Brockman. Other returners include Shiloh Fletcher and Bella Frisby. Southern Arkansas introduces nine brand new faces to the W.T. Watson Center.
At the conference tournament, the Muleriders faced the eventual tourney champion Harding Lady Bisons and fell to the group 64-49. Speaking of which, the Lady Bisons will begin the new year as one of the league's two top voted teams alongside Southern Nazarene, both with 111 points. Harding slightly gained the edge on the Crimson Storm in the voting with five first-place votes to SNU's four.
Southern Arkansas is sandwiched between both groups from Arkadelphia with Henderson State being placed in ninth with 50 points and Ouachita Baptist in 11th with 24.
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