Loyola women ranked in Preseason Top 25; Smith sisters All-GCAC

Posted: October 26, 2009 for Women's Basketball

New Orleans, La. – The Loyola University New Orleans women’s basketball team ranked 21st in the 2009-10 NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll, with their two leading scorers, seniors Trenese and Trenell Smith, being selected to the Preseason All-GCAC Team as voted by the league’s coaches.

The Wolfpack are coming off their third straight NAIA Tournament appearance, as well as a third consecutive GCAC Regular Season Championship. Loyola, who finished with a 23-7 overall record in 2008-09, received 107 votes to take the 21st spot. The Wolfpack were the only team in the GCAC to crack the Top 25, with Xavier University (La.) coming in at 28th with 37 votes, and LSU-Shreveport receiving five votes.

The Wolfpack returns four starters from last year’s team, including All-American’s Trenese and Trenell Smith. Trenese, a three-time winner of the GCAC Player of the Year, has been named to the preseason list three times. Last season she became Loyola’s all-time leading scorer and will head into her final season 75 points shy from the 2,000 point plateau.

Trenell, who’s been named All-GCAC three times, makes the preseason team for the second time in her career. She is currently third on Loyola’s all-time scoring list, and is only 159 points from surpassing Kiely Schork’s mark of 1,842.

The Wolfpack will have an exhibition game with the Lady Tigers of LSU on Nov. 10 before opening up the regular season at Wiley College on Nov. 16.

Become a fan of Wolfpack Athletics on Facebook at http://facebook.com/loyolawolfpack.

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