MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Loyola claimed the majority of the first-place votes to earn the top spot in the 2025-26 SSAC Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Poll. 
 
Regular season competition begins Thursday, Oct. 23. The 2026 SSAC Women’s Basketball Championship takes place Feb. 25-28 at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. The top 10 teams in the standings will qualify for the tournament. 
 
William Carey earned the SSAC Regular Season Championship last season, while Blue Mountain Christian grabbed the tournament title as the No. 8 seed.
 
Kellie Kennedy, Loyola Head Coach: " We are excited for the season and very much appreciate the vote of confidence from the league coaches.  We are returning the core of our team and I think they are getting prepared for a great season.  Our conference has some programs that year to year are fiercely competitive. It says a lot about the culture of at Loyola and the talent of our student-athletes, and we are humbled to be picked at the top of such a tough league as the SSAC.”
 
2025-26 SSAC Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Poll
1. Loyola – 115 (6)
2. William Carey – 100 (3)
3. UT Southern – 92 (1)
4. Mobile – 80
5. Brewton-Parker Christian – 79 (1)
6. Faulkner – 76
7. Life – 57
8. Blue Mountain Christian – 55
9. Point – 31
10. Thomas – 29
11. Abraham Baldwin - 12