FULL MVC RELEASE

ST. LOUIS – The University of Evansville women's basketball team was picked ninth in the annual Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll, as announced by the league office Wednesday morning.
 
Evansville received a total of 104 points in the poll that was voted on by the league's coaches, sports information directors and media members.  Indiana State was selected as the preseason favorite, as the Sycamores garnered 26 of 40 possible first-place votes for a total of 378 points, edging defending MVC regular-season and Valley Tournament champion Wichita State, who received 13 first-place votes and 360 total points.
 
Northern Iowa (259) was predicted to finish third with Drake (221) and Missouri State (216) rounding out the preseason top five.  MVC newcomer Loyola (211) was tabbed sixth and received the final first-place vote, while Bradley (194), Illinois State (166), Evansville and Southern Illinois (91) rounded out the ten-team poll.
 
Third-year head coach Oties Epps returns six letterwinners and three starters from last year's squad that finished 9-21 overall and 7-11 in Valley play for a seventh-place finish in the final regular-season standings, marking the Purple Aces' best league finish since 2007-08. 
 
Redshirt junior Khristian Hart returns as UE's top scorer, as she was second on the team in scoring last season (13.6 ppg) and the team's top scorer in conference play (14.0 ppg), before suffering a season-ending injury at Bradley on Jan. 31.  Hart scored in double figures in 16 of the 19 games she saw action in and scored a career-high 28 points in a win over Missouri State. 
 
Junior Mallory Ladd, who earned All-MVC Honorable Mention status last season, returns as Evansville's top rebounding threat, as she hauled in a team-best 8.6 rebounds per outing in 2012-13 and set a UE single-season record for free throw percentage, connecting on 74 of her 78 attempts for a 94.9 percent clip.  Ladd saw action in 19 games for the Aces and averaged 10.9 points per contest, as she sat out the first half of the season due to NCAA transfer rules.  In conference play, the Evansville native led UE defensively with 14 blocks and 18 steals.
 
Junior Kat Taylor and sophomore Laura Friday join Hart as returners in Evansville's backcourt.  Taylor filled in admirably for the Aces following Hart's injury, as she averaged 4.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game during her sophomore campaign.  Taylor started the final 17 games of the season for UE, tallying 35 of her 46 assists in league contests.  Friday started 18 games as a true freshman, posting averages of 4.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest.  The Marion, Ind., native returns as the top three-point threat for the Aces, as she knocked down a team-best 36.0 percent of her attempts from beyond the arc.
 
Senior forwards Katie Ellerson and Miranda Liles round out the list of UE's returners.  Ellerson saw limited action last season due to injury, as she averaged just 7.2 minutes per game, recording one point, four rebounds, three steals and a pair of assists.  Liles appeared in 13 games during her junior season, averaging 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds per outing.
 
Evansville also welcomes six newcomers to its 2013-14 roster, with four of them hailing from the state of Indiana.  Sara Dickey (Montezuma, Ind./Riverton Parke), Kenzie Gustin (Pendleton, Ind./Pendleton Heights), Paris McLeod (Detroit, Mich./Inkster) and Dakota Weatherford (Arcadia, Ind./Hamilton Heights) will add depth to the Aces' backcourt, while Sasha Robinson (Nashville, Ind./Brown County) and Caitlyn Russell (Onalaska, Wis./Holmen) will provide UE with more options at the post positions.
 
Evansville will host cross-town rival Southern Indiana Saturday, Nov. 2, in its lone exhibition contest, before opening the regular season against Eastern Illinois Friday, Nov. 8, at the Ford Center.
 
2013-14 MVC PRESEASON POLL
1.   Indiana State (26)             378
2.   Wichita State (13)             360
3.   Northern Iowa                   259
4.   Drake                                221
5.   Missouri State                   216
6.   Loyola (1)                          211
7.   Bradley                              194
8.   Illinois State                       166
9.   Evansville                          104
10.  Southern Illinois                91
 
2013-14 MVC PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Kyndal Clark, G, Jr., 5-5, Drake
Alex Harden, G/F, Jr., 5-11, Wichita State (Preseason Player of the Year)
Simone Law, F, Jr., 6-0, Loyola
Cartaesha Macklin, G, Jr, 5-6, Southern Illinois
Anna Munn, G, Sr., 5-10, Indiana State