MELBOURNE, Fla. – In its annual preseason coaches' poll, the Sunshine State Conference selected the Nova Southeastern University women's basketball team to finish second during the 2017-18 season.
 
The Sharks collected 82 total points to go along with two first-place votes, six points behind the top-pick Rollins, who received 88 votes and three first-place votes. Tampa finished third in the poll with 78 points and two first-place votes and Embry-Riddle and Florida Southern tied for fifth with 66 points apiece.
 
"As our staff expected, the preseason ranking was very close," said head coach LeAnn Freeland-Curry. "With five teams receiving two or more first place votes, it is clear the SSC coaches are expecting a lot of parity in the league again this season. Our players have been working extremely hard to get ready and I'm excited to see how our team evolves throughout the year."
 
The Sharks finished 2016-17 with an overall record of 17-12 and 12-6 against conference opponents, making their way to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive year. The Sharks return six, including 2016-17 SSC Freshman of the Year, Maria Bardeeva, and 2015-16 SSC Player of the Year, Kayla Wright, while welcoming eight newcomers to form a stacked 14-player roster for Freeland-Curry's seventh season.
 
NSU will kick off its 2017-18 season against Delta State on Nov. 10 in Jackson, Tenn., in the GSC/SSC Crossover Challenge. To view the Sharks' full schedule, CLICK HERE.
 
Below are the full results of the 2017-18 SSC preseason coaches' poll. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own teams (points: 11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).
 
2017 - 18 SSC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL

Rank 1 2 3 4 T5 T5 7 8 9 10 11

School (FPV) Rollins (3) Nova Southeastern (2) Tampa (2) Eckerd (2) Embry-Riddle Florida Southern (2) Florida Tech Barry Saint Leo Lynn Palm Beach Atlantic

Total Votes 88 82 78 74 66 66 52 31 25 22 21