Head coach Teri Moren begins her third season in charge of the Indiana State women's basketball team this Friday night, as the Sycamores host the Bellarmine Knights in an exhibition game inside Hulman Center with tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m.

The regular season opener is just eight days away, as the Sycamores begin their 2012-13 campaign with a two-game homestand against Eastern Illinois and Marshall. ISU hosts the Panthers on Friday, Nov. 9, and the Thundering Herd on Monday, Nov. 12. Tipoff for both games is set for 7:05 p.m. inside Hulman Center.

Women's Basketball Tabbed Seventh In MVC Preseason Poll
In the annual preseason poll voted on by the head coaches, sports information directors and a media panel from around the Missouri Valley Conference, the Indiana State women's basketball team has been picked seventh in the league heading into the 2012-13 season as announced by the league office today (Oct. 29).

The Creighton Bluejays, the 2012 MVC Tournament champions, were picked to win the league this season, receiving 26 of the 40 first-place votes and 382 points. Wichita State (12 first-place votes, 347 points), Illinois State (two first-place votes, 323 points), Northern Iowa (272 points) and Missouri State (265 points) round out the top-half of the league.

Bradley (144), Indiana State (135), Southern Illinois (123), Drake (121) and Evansville (119) complete the poll, as just 25 points separated sixth place and 10th place in the preseason standings.

Creighton junior Carli Tritz was named the Preseason Player of the Year and was joined on the Preseason All-MVC Team by Wichita State senior guard Jessica Diamond, Northern Iowa senior guard Jacqui Kalin, Illinois State senior guard Jamie Russell and Missouri State senior forward Christiana Shorter.

Welcome Back
Indiana State returns a pair of starters from last year's team, as senior guard Taylor Whitley and junior guard Anna Munn highlight the returnees. Redshirt junior Andrea Rademacher and sophomores Travecia Franklin, Racheal Mahan, Jessica Valley and Natasha Zurek are also back this season for the Sycamores.

New Faces
Head coach Teri Moren not only welcomes several student-athletes to the Indiana State women's basketball team this season, but also welcomes four new members of the coaching staff. A trio of assistant coaches, in John Marcum, Sara Riedeman and Joey Wells, and graduate manager Andrea Jones will join head coach Moren on the ISU bench this season.

Five Sycamores joined the team this offseason, in freshmen Kalliste Haskins (Indianapolis, Ind. / Warren Central HS), Kasey Johnson (Plainfield, Ind. / Plainfield HS), Marina Laramie (O'Fallon, Mo. / Fort Zumwalt West HS) and Makenzi Reasor (Fortville, Ind. / Mount Vernon HS) and sophomore transfer Jasmine Harris (Toronto, Ontario, Canada / Cal Poly).