Oct. 19, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Vanderbilt’s women’s basketball team was selected to finish third in the SEC and senior point guard Jence Rhoads was named preseason first team All-SEC in a voting by SEC and national media members on Tuesday.
The Commodores received 157 points in the poll, which was 26 points behind Kentucky, who was picked to finish second. Tennessee was selected to defend its SEC Championship, garnering 202 points, including 15 of the 17 first-place votes. Georgia was picked to finish fourth in the league with 150 points.
Rhoads, a first team All-SEC selection in 2010, averaged 13.8 points and 5.0 assists last season. A native of Slippery Rock, Pa., Rhoads led the SEC in minutes per game, while also finishing second in assist-to-turnover ratio and assists per game.
Kentucky’s Victoria Dunlap was chosen as the preseason SEC Player of the Year. Tennessee’s Angie Bjorklund and Shekinna Stricklen each gained two votes for player of the year.
Vanderbilt’s third-place projection is one spot higher than the Commodores were selected to finish last year. The Commodores are coming off a 23-11 season where they finished 9-7 in the SEC and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Vanderbilt has won 20-plus games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 11 straight seasons.
The Commodores open the season Nov. 4 against Delta State in exhibition play. On Thursday, Head Coach Melanie Balcomb and Rhoads will be in Birmingham to take part in SEC Media Day.
Order of Finish
1. Tennessee 202
2. Kentucky 183
3. Vanderbilt 157
4. Georgia 150
5. LSU 147
6. Auburn 120
7. South Carolina 84
8. Arkansas 81
9. Alabama 65
10. Ole Miss 47
11. Mississippi State 45
11. Florida 45
First-Team
LaSondra Barrett, LSU
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky
Angie Bjorklund, Tennessee
Shekinna Stricklen, Tennessee
Jence Rhoads, Vanderbilt
Second Team
Tierney Jenkins, Alabama
Alli Smalley, Auburn
Porsha Phillips, Georgia
A’dia Mathies, Kentucky
Kelley Cain, Tennessee
