SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento State women's basketball team begins the 2025-26 campaign picked to finish in the upper half of the Big Sky Conference standings, placing fifth in the coaches poll and fourth according to the media according to votes released on Wednesday morning by the league office.
The Hornets received 50 points total to finish ahead of Eastern Washington (38) in fifth, trailing preseason favorite Montana State (74 points), second-place Montana (72 points), third-place Idaho (65 points), and fourth-place Idaho State (57 points). The top four schools all picked up at least one first-place vote with five of them going to the Bobcats and three to the Grizzlies.
Among the media members that cover the league, Sacramento State received a pair of first-place nods and 177 points overall, finishing behind Montana State (11 first-place votes, 238 points), Montana (seven first-place votes, 224 points), and Idaho (seven first-place votes, 220 points).
Last season, the Hornets were picked fourth by the coaches and sixth by the media.
Sacramento State returns a pair of starters in senior guard Benthe Versteeg and senior forward Fatoumata Jaiteh and six letter winners overall off of last season's squad that finished 15-18 overall and 7-11 in the Big Sky, while advancing to at least the second round of the conference tournament for the third consecutive year.
Bolstering the returning roster is a talented class of eight newcomers across all levels of basketball — a group that includes three Division I transfers, another from a prominent NAIA program, two from the junior college ranks, and a pair of standout freshmen.
The 15 wins last season was a nine-game improvement in the win column for the Hornets, which is tied for the third-best such improvement in school history. The 15 wins were the second-most in the last 10 seasons behind only the 25-win NCAA Tournament campaign in 2022-23.
Sacramento State officially tips-off the 2025-26 season on Nov. 3 in its new home at the Hornet Pavilion against Stanton University at 6:30 p.m. Three of this year's opponents reached the NCAA Tournament a year ago, while three more combined to earn berths in the NCAA Women's Basketball Invitational and Postseason WNIT.
2025-26 BIG SKY CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL POLLS
Coaches Poll
1. Montana State (5) – 74
2. Montana (3) – 72
3. Idaho (1) – 65
4. Idaho State (1) – 57
5. Sacramento State – 50
6. Eastern Washington – 38
7. Northern Colorado – 36
8. Weber State – 28
T9. Northern Arizona – 15
T9. Portland State – 15
() – Denotes First-Place Votes
Media Poll
1. Montana State (11) – 238
2. Montana (7) – 224
3. Idaho (7) – 220
4. Sacramento State (2) – 177
5. Idaho State – 161
6. Eastern Washington – 123
7. Weber State – 120
8. Northern Arizona – 102
9. Northern Colorado – 86
10. Portland State – 34
() – Denotes First-Place Votes
