The reigning Missouri Valley Conference champion Drake Bulldogs have been tabbed as the league favorite in the annual women’s basketball preseason poll in a vote consisting of head coaches, sports information directors and media members.
The 2023-24 regular-season championship by the Bulldogs marked the 10th time in school history that Drake has won outright, or earned a share, of the MVC title. Drake slid past Missouri State, 76-75, in the Hoops in the Heartland title game to earn its ninth tournament championship in 17 appearances in the finals.
Drake received 39 of 48 possible first-place votes and 566 total points, outdistancing UNI (504 points, 6 first-place votes) and Belmont (475 points, 3 first-place votes).
Murray State (391 points), Missouri State (380 points), UIC (347 points) and Illinois State (341 points) grabbed the No. 4-7 spots in the poll, respectively.
Valparaiso (193 points) edged Indiana State (189 points) in the No. 8 and No. 9 spots, while Southern Illinois (167 points), Bradley (97 points) and Evansville (96 points) rounded out the poll.
Preseason poll favorites in the Valley have played in 32 postseasons, including 23 NCAA Tournaments with two Sweet 16 and one Final Four appearances.
The 2024-25 regular season begins Monday, Nov. 4, with the start of conference play slated for Sunday, Dec. 29. The 2025 MVC Women’s Basketball Tournament will be held March 13-16 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
Drake’s Katie Dinnebier has been selected as the Preseason Player of the Year and highlights the Preseason All-Conference First Team. Dinnebier was named the 2024 Jackie Stiles Player of the Year, coming the ninth Bulldog in program history to win the honor. Joining Dinnebier on the first team is UNI’s Grace Boffeli and Maya McDermott, Drake’s Anna Miller, Missouri State’s Lacy Stokes and Murray State’s Katelyn Young.
The Preseason All-MVC Second Team features Belmont’s Jailyn Banks, Kendal Cheesman and Tuti Jones, UIC’s Keimari Rimmer, Illinois State’s Maya Wong and Valparaiso’s Leah Earnest.
Collectively, four of the league’s six specialty award winners from last season return this year and are featured on the preseason all-conference teams, including the Player of the Year (Dinnebier), Defensive Player of the Year (Miller), Newcomer of the Year (Stokes) and Freshman of the Year (Banks).
