ROCK HILL, S.C. — The Tusculum University women’s basketball team has been picked to finish 10th in the 2025-26 South Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
Selected to the Players to Watch list from the Pioneers are guard Abbi Douglas and center Josie Horner.
The Pioneers earned 43 votes in polling of the conference’s 12 head coaches. Coker was the top pick in the poll with nine first-place votes, followed by Carson-Newman and Wingate.
Douglas is the lone returning starter for the Pioneers after averaging 10.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in 28 starts last season. The 5-9 graduate student from Ashland City, Tennessee led the team and ranked sixth in the SAC with 3.25 assists per game, and was fifth in the SAC with 2.1 steals per contest. She reached double figures in scoring 15 times, including a season high of 19 points against Coker on Jan. 18, and surpassed 1,000 points for her college career against Lenoir-Rhyne on Jan. 25.
Horner played in 22 games for the Pioneers as a freshman, averaging 2.2 points and 1.2 rebounds per game while averaging 6.8 minutes per contest. The 6-1 sophomore from Mascot, Tennessee reached her season high of 13 points in 16 minutes against Carson-Newman on Feb. 12, and had her best month of the season in February with 3.3 points and 1.3 rebounds in seven games.
Coker, which won the SAC regular-season and NCAA Southeast Region championships, picked up nine first-place votes and 129 points to top the poll. Carson-Newman, with two first-place votes, was second with 117 points and Wingate was third at 107 points. Anderson had the other first-place vote and was fourth with 106 points, followed by Lenoir-Rhyne (89) in fifth and Catawba (85) in sixth.
Lincoln Memorial was seventh with 77 points, and the rest of the poll consisted of UVA Wise (58 points) in eighth, Newberry (45) in ninth, Tusculum (43) in 10th), Emory & Henry (37) in 11th and Mars Hill (31) in 12th.
The Pioneers will tip off their 2025-26 season in the Region Crossover on Friday, November 14 against 24th-ranked Columbus State in Columbus, Georgia. Tusculum’s home opener is Wednesday, November 19 at 5:30 p.m. against Young Harris and conference play starts Saturday, November 29 at Pioneer Arena against Coker.
– TU –
2025-26 SAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
Rank School (First Place Votes) Score
- Coker (9) 129
2. Carson-Newman (2) 117
3. Wingate 107
4. Anderson (1) 106
5. Lenoir-Rhyne 89
6. Catawba 85
7. Lincoln Memorial 77
8. UVA Wise 58
9. Newberry 45
10. Tusculum 43
11. Emory & Henry 37
12. Mars Hill 31
2025-26 SAC Women’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference
Shawnteanna Tillman, Coker
Jennifer Sullivan, Carson-Newman
Aaliyah El, Lenoir-Rhyne
Alexa Smiddy, Lincoln Memorial
Breanna Yarber, Emory & Henry
Kamil Collier, Lincoln Memorial
Laney Beale, Wingate
2025-26 SAC Women’s Basketball Players to Watch
Anderson: Rose Gravel, Ashlyn Sheridan
Carson-Newman: Emily Gonzalez
Catawba: Mary Spry, Bailee Goodlett
Coker: Kamari Thompson
Emory & Henry: Gracyn Hall
Lenoir-Rhyne: Lauren Arnold
Mars Hill: Jadyiah Peoples, Makayla Street
Newberry: Mary-Kate Kent, Rickell Brown
Tusculum: Abbi Douglas, Josie Horner
UVA Wise: Caroline Mullins, Madison Looney
Wingate: Kyleigh Bacon
