Tampa Named First in SSC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll for Third Consecutive Year

TAMPA, Fla. - Sunshine State Conference women's basketball coaches select the University of Tampa as the conference's top team heading into the 2025-26 season. The Spartans are expected to win their 10th regular-season title following 95 total points and five first-place votes in the preseason poll.

Embry-Riddle, who finished tied with Tampa atop the 2024-25 standings, finished second in the preseason ranking with 90 points and the final six first-place votes. Eckerd lands in third with 81 points, while Nova Southeastern and Lynn round out the Top-5 with 75 and 56 points, respectively. Florida Southern finished sixth with 52 points, and Palm Beach Atlantic obtained 44 points for seventh place. Rounding out the 2025-26 poll are Saint Leo (34 points), Barry (30 points), Rollins (29 points), and Florida Tech (19 points).

Head Coach Tom Jessee enters another season at the helm of the Spartans following an impressive 26-7 campaign, which included a 17-3 conference record and an NCAA Tournament appearance. Under his leadership, the Spartans have been named the Sunshine State Conference preseason No. 1 for three consecutive years, continuing to set the standard for excellence. This season, Jessee will enter with key returners like Olivia Davis and Giorgia Palmieri leading the charge, joined by a strong recruiting class that adds depth and talent. 

2025-26 SSC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
 
Tampa and Embry-Riddle each finished the 2024-25 season at 17-3 in the conference standings. The Spartans claimed their ninth regular-season conference title, while the Eagles claimed their first. Nova Southeastern followed with a 16-4 mark in SSC play. Top-seeded Embry-Riddle defeated Nova Southeastern 55-51 to earn the program's first SSC Tournament title.

Embry-Riddle, Nova Southeastern, and Tampa earned NCAA Division II tournament bids in 2024-25. Embry-Riddle and Nova Southeastern both won their first-round matchups, setting up a meeting between the two teams in the regional semifinals. There, the Sharks got revenge for their SSC Tournament Championship loss, defeating the Eagles 66-63 to advance to the regional finals. Nova Southeastern's run ended in the regional finals, as the Sharks fell to top-seeded Union (TN), 65-60.

Tampa is the first SSC team to hit the court in the 2025-26 season, as they take on Harding on Friday, November 7, in Denton, Texas. All remaining league teams begin playing on Friday, November 14, or Saturday, November 15. Embry-Riddle and Saint Leo will open up conference play on Saturday, November 22.

Below are the full results of the 2025-26 SSC preseason women's basketball coaches' poll. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their teams (points: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).

2025-26 SSC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL

See Also: SSC All-Americans | All-SSC Teams | SSC Champions | Elite 8 Appearances | Record Book

 Previous SSC Women's Basketball Polls & Champions