Fort Hays State Women’s Basketball remained No. 1 in the latest WBCA Division II Poll, released on Tuesday (Dec. 15). The Tigers held on to the nation’s top ranking after defeating Nebraska-Kearney in an overtime thriller this past Saturday (Dec. 12) in Hays. The Tigers are now 9-0 overall in their second week as the No. 1 team in NCAA Division II.
The top four teams remained the same in this week’s poll with West Texas A&M at No. 2, Emporia State at No. 3, and Drury at No. 4. Fort Hays State received 16 of the possible 24 first-place votes from the voting panel nationwide. West Texas A&M received five of those first-place nods.
Fort Hays State will get a challenge this week as it heads on the road to Central Missouri and Southwest Baptist. It will be the final week of play before teams head into a two-week break for the holidays. Central Missouri enters Thursday’s game at 2-6 overall, 1-2 in the MIAA, while Southwest Baptist is currently 5-4 overall and 1-3 in the MIAA.
The 2-6 mark for Central Missouri can be deceiving as the Jennies have played four games against teams currently in the top 25 of the WBCA Poll. They have lost to Drury (No. 4), Quincy (No. 23), Missouri Western (No. 16), Emporia State (No. 3), and Minnesota State-Moorhead (currently receiving votes). Fort Hays State will be the third top-10 opponent UCM faces so far this season. The Tigers look to jump over a hurdle on Thursday, looking for their first win in Warrensburg since 2009-10. Central Missouri has claimed the last three meetings between the teams in Warrensburg. On Saturday, the Tigers enter with a two-game win streak over SBU in Bolivar.
Below is the WBCA Division II Poll for December 15, 2015.
| Rank |
Institution – First Place Votes |
Previous Rank |
Record |
Total Points |
| 1 |
Fort Hays State University (Kan.) – 16 |
1 |
9-0 |
587 |
| 2 |
West Texas A&M University – 5 |
2 |
8-0 |
565 |
| 3 |
Emporia State University (Kan.) – 2 |
3 |
8-1 |
539 |
| 4 |
Drury University (Mo.) |
4 |
8-0 |
525 |
| 5 |
University of Alaska – Anchorage |
6 |
13-1 |
463 |
| 6 |
California Baptist University |
5 |
9-1 |
452 |
| 7 |
Lewis University (Ill.) |
7 |
9-1 |
423 |
| 8 |
Limestone College (S.C.) |
8 |
8-0 |
399 |
| 9 |
Winona State University (Minn.) |
11 |
12-0 |
393 |
| 10 |
Nova Southeastern University (Fla.) |
10 |
8-1 |
392 |
| 11 |
Ashland University (Ohio) |
12 |
8-0 |
329 |
| 12 |
Lubbock Christian University (Texas) |
14 |
7-0 |
305 |
| 13 |
California University of Pennsylvania (Pa.) |
13 |
8-1 |
287 |
| 14 |
Union University (Tenn.) |
9 |
9-1 |
276 |
| 15 |
Columbus State University (Ga.) |
15 |
5-1 |
243 |
| 16 |
Missouri Western State |
17 |
9-0 |
240 |
| 17 |
Anderson University (S.C.) |
16 |
6-0 |
209 |
| 18 |
Arkansas Tech University |
19 |
6-1 |
170 |
| 19 |
West Liberty University (W.Va.) |
18 |
8-1 |
152 |
| 20 |
Virginia Union University – 1 |
21 |
6-0 |
117 |
| 21 |
Queens College (N.Y.) |
20 |
5-1 |
102 |
| 22 |
Delta State University (Miss.) |
NR |
7-0 |
101 |
| 23 |
Quincy University (Ill.) |
23 |
8-1 |
88 |
| 24 |
Benedict College (S.C.) |
24 |
7-1 |
74 |
| 25 |
Azusa Pacific University (Calif.) |
25 |
8-2 |
52 |
Others receiving votes: University Of Sioux Falls (S.D.) 50; Francis Marion University (S.C.) 28; University of California – San Diego 28; Minnesota State University – Moorhead 23; Pittsburg State University (Kan.) 17; Michigan Technological University 15; American International College (Mass.) 14; Colorado State University – Pueblo 13; Shaw University (N.C.) 11; Colorado Mesa University 10; Bentley University (Mass.) 9; Carson-Newman University (Tenn.) 8; Florida Southern College 8; Lander University (S.C.) 8; Kentucky State University 3; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania 2.
