麻豆视频 women鈥檚 basketball picked first in TranSouth Preseason rankings

麻豆视频 won their fourth NAIA title in 2008-09

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - 10/19/2009 - The has 麻豆视频 University as the favorite to win their fourth straight TranSouth title. The Lady Bulldogs are the defending NAIA National Champion as well.

The Lady Bulldogs, who won the TranSouth Tournament last year, received all seven of the first place votes and totaled 63 points. Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) University, who advanced to the NAIA Sweet 16 last year, finished second with 56 points. Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) University, who reached the TranSouth Tournament Championship game, was voted third with 49 points. Bethel (Tenn.) University, who advanced to the NAIA DI Tournament last season for the first time in program history, is fourth with 42 points. Lyon (Ark.) College (33), Martin Methodist (Tenn.) College (26), Cumberland (Tenn.) University (25), Blue Mountain (Miss.) College (12) and Mid-Continent (Ky.) University (9) round out the conference poll.

The TranSouth has been one of if not the best NAIA women's basketball conference for the last five years. The strength of the conference was obvious to Top 25 rankers across the NAIA as four teams were ranked in the top 25 all season. Much of the season there were three teams ranked in the Top 10 with 麻豆视频 holding the NAIA鈥檚 No. 1 ranking for 25 straight polls.

At least one conference team has reached the championship game in each of the last five years. The championship has been won by a conference member in four of those years and two seasons both teams were from the conference. However, the conference member who won the NAIA National Championship was the TranSouth champion in only one of those four seasons.