LILBURN, Ga. - The Fort Hays State women's basketball team opens the 2025-26 season ranked ninth in the WBCA Preseason Coaches Poll, announced Tuesday (Oct. 28) by the coaches association.
 
The Tigers accumulated 338 points in the balloting process, six points behind eighth-ranked Coker. FHSU is one of two MIAA teams listed in the top 10, with defending league champion Pittsburg State slotted seventh nationally. Defending national champion Grand Valley State tops the poll after picking up 21 of 22 possible first-place votes.
 
This is the seventh time the Tigers have entered the season ranked in the preseason coaches poll and the fifth time FHSU has opened a year ranked inside the top 10 nationally.
 
FHSU in the Preseason Coaches Poll
2025 - 9th
2024 - 23rd
2022 - 3rd
2021 - 4th
2019 - 7th
2018 - 12th
2015 - 10th
 
The Tigers have now been ranked in 19-consecutive releases of the coaches poll after FHSU was listed in each of the 18 polls last season. FHSU has been in the WBCA Top 25 121 times in the program's DII history, including 80 appearances inside the top 10. Fort Hays State is 185-48 overall when ranked, including a 131-28 mark when ranked inside the top 10 and a 9-2 record when ranked No. 9. This is the fifth time the Tigers have been ranked ninth in the nation and the first since February 15, 2022.
 
Fort Hays State is coming off a 28-5 record last season, with the Tigers reaching the MIAA championship game and advancing to the NCAA DII Central Region semifinals. FHSU eclipsed 20 wins for the 14th season in a row, the longest active streak in Division II and sixth-longest across all NCAA Divisions.
 
The Tigers will open the regular season at the Central Region Showcase in St. Joseph, Mo. for a third year in a row when the Tigers take on 11th-ranked Concordia-St. Paul on Friday, November 14 beginning at 5 p.m.
 
WBCA NCAA DII Preseason Coaches Poll - 10/28/25
Rk. - School (1st) - 24-25 W-L - Pts. - Last
1 - Grand Valley State (21) - 38-2 - 545 - 1
2 - Union (Tenn.) - 33-4 - 485 - 3
3 - Texas Woman's - 33-2 - 466 - 6
4 - North Georgia (1) - 31-3 - 417 - 9
5 - Gannon - 28-7 - 416 - 11
6 - Ashland - 32-4 - 406 - 8
7 - Pittsburg State - 33-4 - 396 - 2
8 - Coker - 29-6 - 344 - 10
9 - Fort Hays State - 28-5 - 338 - 12
10 - Bentley - 33-2 - 315 - 5
11 - Concordia-St. Paul - 29-3 - 261 - 13
12 - Embry-Riddle - 27-5 - 247 - 16
13 - Lubbock Christian - 32-5 - 199 - 7
14 - Cal Poly Pomona - 25-6 - 194 - 19
15 - Minnesota State Mankato - 25-8 - 185 - RV
16 - Fairmont State - 27-5 - 176 - 20
17 - Cal State Dominguez Hills - 36-2 - 171 - 4
18 - Southwest Minnesota State - 28-5 - 133 - 15
19 - Nova Southeastern - 27-7 - 126 - 18
20 - Texas-Tyler - 25-5 - 106 - 14
21 - Colorado Mesa - 25-6 - 99 - 22t
22 - Holy Family - 26-7 - 92 - 24
23 - Tampa - 26-7 - 77 - 22t
24 - Columbus State - 21-9 - 72 - NR
25 - Harding - 25-7 - 71 - NR
 
Dropped out: No. 17 Alaska Anchorage (28-5); No. 21 Lewis (26-4)); No. 25 Point Loma Nazarene (25-6).
 
Others receiving votes: West Texas A&M (19-13) 64; Point Loma Nazarene (25-6) 59; Western Washington (18-11) 58; Fayetteville State (21-8) 54; Alaska Anchorage (28-5) 53; Indiana (PA) (23-8) 52; Clark Atlanta (24-8) 50; Northern Michigan (23-9) 49; Lewis (26-4) 46; Miles (22-7) 31; Drury (22-7)  30; Lee (TN) (25-7) 30; Belmont Abbey (25-6) 28; Vanguard U. (18-8) 27; Daemen (22-8) 26; Adams State (19-12) 24; Washburn (18-13) 21; Malone (22-8) 20; Ferris State (21-12) 19; Central Washington (23-8) 16; Southern Nazarene (23-8) 13; Colorado-Colorado Springs (19-12) 8; Cal State Chico (24-8) 2.
 
9 teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 32 combined points.