SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Orchestrating one of the nation's best turnarounds a season ago, including a third place finish in the Summit League, South Dakota women's basketball is picked third in the Summit League Preseason Poll, announced by the conference office Tuesday morning.
 
South Dakota enters year three under head coach Carrie Eighmey, and this will be the first season without major change for the Coyotes, as the full coaching staff returns and a good core of the roster is back for this year. With the strong returning group, the Coyotes were picked third in the preseason poll this fall, behind the two teams that finished ahead of them in the conference standings a season ago, North Dakota State (preseason favorites) and South Dakota State (preseason second).
 
The Coyotes totaled 359 points in the poll, comfortably ahead of fourth place St. Thomas (283) and fifth place Oral Roberts (253). North Dakota State totaled 456 points and 24 first place votes to claim the title of preseason favorite, followed by South Dakota State with 429 points, including eight first place votes.
 
The Coyotes went 12-4 in conference play last year, including a split with South Dakota State, and made a postseason run to the WNIT Semifinals, playing just their second ever game in the month of April when they hosted Illinois State in the semifinals.
 
The leader of the returning group for the Coyotes is Molly Joyce, a senior from Algona, Iowa. A second team all-conference selection and the Summit League Newcomer of the Year last season, Joyce was named a preseason first-teamer this fall as one of the top returning scorers in the conference.
 
Joyce averaged 12.9 points per game last season, third most by a returning player in the league, but she was even better in Summit League play, scoring 15.8 points per game, second most by a returner, and had six 20-point scoring games in 16 league games. She also was a top free throw shooter in the league a season ago, shooting 86.4% during Summit League play, second best among returning players.
 
The Coyotes open the season on Nov. 2 against York (Neb.) in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. The non-conference features home dates against Idaho State (Nov. 15), Bradley (Dec. 8), and Drake (Dec. 15) and road contests at North Florida (Nov. 27), Montana (Dec. 19, and Boise State (Dec. 31). The Coyotes will also see the Creighton Bluejays in November, squaring off at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls on Nov. 11.
 
Conference play opens for South Dakota on Jan. 7 at home against Oral Roberts. The Coyotes first conference road test is at South Dakota State on Jan. 16. The Coyotes will be at the preseason favorites of North Dakota State on Jan. 23. The Coyotes will host those two on back-to-back games of Feb. 13 (SDSU) and Feb. 18 (NDSU). South Dakota's final home game of the season will be on Feb. 20 against North Dakota and their regular season finale is at Omaha on Feb. 27.
 
SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
1. North Dakota State    456 (24)
2. South Dakota State   429 (8)
3. South Dakota           359
4. St. Thomas                283
5. Oral Roberts              253
6. Kansas City               212
7. Omaha                      151
8. North Dakota             121
 
PRESEASON ALL-SUMMIT LEAGUE
First Team
Avery Koenen, NDSU (Preseason Player of the Year)
Elauni Bennett, KC
Marisa Frost, NDSU
Molly Joyce, USD
Alyssa Sand, UST
Jocelyn Schiller, NDSU
 
Second Team
Karrington Asp, NDSU
Katie Vasecka, SDSU
Emilee Fox, SDSU
Emani Bennett, KC
Hadley Thul, SDSU



 
Stay up to date with all things Coyote Women's Basketball by following South Dakota Women's Basketball on Facebook /SDCoyotesWBB, X (Twitter) @SDCoyotesWBB, and Instagram @sdcoyotesWBB! #GoYotes