PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF women’s basketball team matched its best preseason selection as the Knights were selected to finish fourth in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, which was announced Monday morning.
After never being selected to finish higher than eighth in the first four coaches preseason polls, the Knights have now been selected to finish fourth in consecutive campaigns.
In her two seasons at the helm, head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson has led the Knights to back-to-back 20-win campaigns and guided the Black and Gold to a third place finish in the league standings in 2017-18.
One year after making its first appearance in The American Tournament semifinals, UCF repeated last season, earning tournament wins in consecutive seasons for the first time since joining the conference in 2013.
Five-time defending league champion UConn was the unanimous selection to win the regular season. USF was picked to finish second in the league, while Houston edged the Knights by just three point to earn the nod for third.
Last season, the Black and Gold posted a 12-4 mark in The American, falling only to league champion UConn and conference runner-up USF. The Knights set a program-best in victories (12) and conference tournament seed (3), advancing to the semifinal of the tournament for the second straight season.
Following two of UCF’s best campaigns as members of The American, Coach "ABE" is set to begin her third season with the Knights.
UCF returns all-freshman selection Masseny Kaba, Nyala Shuler, who started all 33 games for the Black and Gold last season, and Kay Kay Wright, the Knights' second-leading scorer in 2017-18.
The Knights also regain Tolulope Omokore and Fifi Ndour, both of whom missed last season due to injuries. In addition to a trio of newcomers, Anna Kelly and Sianni Martin will be eligible for UCF after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules.
The Knights open the 2018-19 season at Pittsburgh on Nov. 7.
TICKETS FOR 2018-19
The UCF women's basketball team is set for its third season under head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. Purchase season tickets by clicking here or calling (407) 823-1000.
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2018-19 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
Rank
| Rank | Team (First Place Votes) | Points |
| 1. | UConn (10) | 121 |
| 2. | USF (1) | 111 |
| 3. | Houston | 95 |
| 4. | UCF | 92 |
| 5. | Cincinnati | 74 |
| 6. | Temple | 72 |
| 7. | SMU | 55 |
| 8. | ECU | 46 |
| 9. | Tulane | 42 |
| 10. | Wichita State | 35 |
| 11. | Memphis | 25 |
| 12. | Tulsa | 24 |
2018-19 AMERICAN PRESEASON INDIVIDUAL HONORS
Preseason Player of the Year
Katie Lou Samuelson, UConn
Preseason All-Conference Teams
First Team
Napheesa Collier, UConn*
Crystal Dangerfield, UConn
Katie Lou Samuelson, UConn*
Jasmyne Harris, Houston
Kitija Laksa, USF*
Second Team
Angel Harris, Houston
Laura Ferreira, USF
Alicia Froling, SMU
Alliya Butts, Temple
Mia Davis, Temple
*unanimous selection