East Michigan News

The Mid-American Conference (MAC) has released its 2024-25 Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll, placing Eastern Michigan University in the 11th position with 23 points. The poll results were based on votes from all 12 head coaches within the league.

Ball State University emerged as the favorite, securing 10 out of 12 first-place votes and a total of 120 points. Kent State University received the remaining two first-place votes, accumulating 104 points to secure second place. The top five was completed by the University at Buffalo with 98 points, Bowling Green State University with 96 points, and the University of Toledo with 82 points.

Northern Illinois University and Ohio University tied for sixth place, each receiving 64 points. They were followed by Miami University with 44 points, the University of Akron with 43 points, Western Michigan University with 34 points, Eastern Michigan at eleventh place with their previously mentioned score, and Central Michigan University closing out the list with 20 points.

In addition to predicting regular season standings, coaches also cast their votes for potential MAC Tournament champions. Ball State received eight votes in this category while Bowling Green State University, Buffalo, Kent State, and Toledo each garnered one vote.

Eastern Michigan's team is entering a new phase under head coach Sahar Nusseibeh for the upcoming season. Nusseibeh brings experience from her previous role as head coach at Canisius University and assistant coaching positions at Miami and Bowling Green State Universities. Her debut game leading Eastern Michigan will take place on November 4 against Texas State University as part of the MAC/SBC Challenge.

Tickets for Eastern Michigan's games are available through EMUEagles.com/Tickets or by contacting their ticket office directly. Fans can stay informed about team updates via social media platforms using @EMUWBB on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook.

The preseason poll also highlighted individual players selected for All-MAC teams. The First Team includes Ally Becki from Ball State (Senior), Amy Velasco from Bowling Green (Senior), Chellia Watson from Buffalo (Fifth Year), Jenna Batsch from Kent State (Senior), and Kirsten Lewis-Williams from Buffalo (Sophomore). The Second Team features Brooke Stonebraker from Northern Illinois (Graduate Student), Erika Porter from Bowling Green (Fifth Year), Jaya McClure from Ohio (Junior), Madelyn Bischoff from Ball State (Senior), and Sammi Mikonowicz from Toledo (Graduate Student).