MONTGOMERY, Ala. – For the sixth straight year, the Loyola University New Orleans women's basketball team was picked first in the Southern States Athletic Conference Preseason Poll, which was released on Tuesday. The Wolf Pack collected 115 total votes and six first-place votes, followed by William Carey (100), UT Southern (92), Mobile (80), Brewton-Parker (79), and Faulkner (76).
The program has claimed three regular-season titles and three tournament championships during the five previous years of being ranked first in the preseason poll.
"We are excited for the season and very much appreciate the vote of confidence from the league coaches," Wolf Pack head coach Kellie Kennedy said. "We are returning the core of our team, and I think they are getting prepared for a great season. Our conference has some programs that year to year are fiercely competitive. It says a lot about the culture of at Loyola and the talent of our student-athletes, and we are humbled to be picked at the top of such a tough league as the SSAC."
Loyola returns six from last year's team while adding nine to the roster. Three of those returners were the Top 3 scorers from the 2024-25 season, and two of those three were the Top 2 rebounders. Alissa O'Dell averaged 13.8 points and 8.7 rebounds, Deniya Thornton averaged 13.4 points and seven rebounds, and Caitlin Travis averaged 12 points and 4.1 rebounds. O'Dell and Thornton represented Loyola on the SSAC All-Conference First Team last season, and Travis made an appearance on the Second Team.
The Wolf Pack opens the season with two games in Lawrence, Kansas, then an exhibition at Tulane on Wednesday, Oct. 29. They'll play their home opener on Thursday, Nov. 6, against LSU Alexandria, which starts a three-game homestand. Conference play begins on Saturday, Nov. 22, at William Carey, as the Pack will play their first three SSAC games on the road before their conference home opener on Thursday, Jan. 8.
Loyola will host Dillard (Nov. 25) and Arkansas Baptist (Dec. 13) before the calendar flips to 2026, then it'll play Warner at home on Friday, Jan. 2, before the league game against Mobile on Jan. 8. January features six home games, including the Hall of Fame Game on Saturday, Jan. 24, and February has four scheduled home games, with Senior Day set for Saturday, Feb. 21.
The SSAC Women's Basketball Championship is Feb. 25-28 in Montgomery, Alabama.
2025-26 SSAC Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Poll
1. Loyola – 115 (6)
2. William Carey – 100 (3)
3. UT Southern – 92 (1)
4. Mobile – 80
5. Brewton-Parker Christian – 79 (1)
6. Faulkner – 76
7. Life – 57
8. Blue Mountain Christian – 55
9. Point – 31
10. Thomas – 29
11. Abraham Baldwin - 12
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