KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Loyola Wolf Pack women's basketball team, which finished last year as the No. 16-ranked team in the NAIA, was picked No. 19 overall in the NAIA Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Top 25 Poll for the 2026-27 season.
[Full NAIA Preseason Poll]
This is the first time Loyola's women's basketball team has been ranked entering the season since the 2024-25 season, when the Pack opened the campaign at No. 13 in the nation. The ranking comes after Southern States Athletic Conference coaches picked the Wolf Pack first in the conference last week.
Loyola is coming off of a 25-5 overall record last season, and the team reached the second round of the NAIA National Championship tournament. It was the Pack's 13th consecutive appearance at the national tournament.
Head Coach Kellie Kennedy, who is the winningest coach in Loyola history with over 400 career victories, has a strong class of newcomers and returners as she enters her 19th season with the Pack.
The returners include top-scoring senior Alissa O'Dell, a 2026 NAIA All-American as well as the SSAC Player of the Year, and fellow senior Caitlin Travis, who joined O'Dell on the All-Conference First Team. Loyola also returns juniors Ava Shields and Addison Luker, in addition to its two SSAC All-Freshman honorees from last season, Tiarra McPipe and Chandler Caver, as well as fellow sophomores Madi Walters, Taylor Smith, Jazmyne Gilbert, and Kaylee Dublin.
New faces to the Wolf Pack this season include Tulane transfer Jaylee Womack and freshmen Anna Richerson, Payton Herpin, Tora Savoy, and Carly Meynard.
The Wolf Pack will open the season at 3 p.m. Oct. 24 against Our Lady of the Lake in San Antonio, Texas. The next week Loyola will play road exhibitions against two NCAA Division I opponents: 6:30 p.m. Oct. 27 at neighbor Tulane and 7 p.m. Oct. 29 at LSU. The second regular season game and home opener will tip off at 2 p.m. Nov. 8 at The Den against College of Biblical Studies (Houston, Texas).
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