Women's Basketball | 10/30/2025 12:00:00 PM

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The Bloomsburg women's basketball team is predicted to finish third in the Eastern Division, as revealed in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Preseason Poll released Thursday afternoon. Preseason polls are voted on by the conference's head coaches.

Lock Haven sits atop the poll, receiving six of eight possible first-place votes. Kutztown, the defending PSAC Champions, comes in at second in the preseason ranking, garnering three top selections. Trailing the Huskies in the poll for the final project postseason spots are West Chester (fourth), Millersville (fifth), and East Stroudsburg (sixth). Rounding out the poll are Shippensburg (seventh), Shepherd (eighth), and Mansfield (ninth).

In the West, Gannon received a maximum possible of seven first-place votes to take the preseason No. 1 ranking. Seton Hill gets one first-place vote to claim second. IUP and California (Pa.) are in third and fourth, while Clarion and Edinboro round out the projected conference tournament field. Slippery Rock (seventh) and Pitt-Johnstown (eighth) round out the West poll.

Bloomsburg looks to build upon a 2024-25 campaign in its 10th year, backed by head coach Alison Tagliaferri, that saw the team return to the PSAC Tournament with an 18-12 overall record and an 11-10 conference mark, good for third place in the Eastern Division. 

The Huskies will lean on a strong contingent of returners for the 2025-26 campaign. Bloomsburg brings back nine players from last year's squad that appeared in at least 24 contests, including five players who averaged over 16 minutes played per game. The group is led by guards Leah Kale (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) (9.9 PPG) and Ava Stevenson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Trinity) (8.0 PPG), a tandem that combined to shoot over 38% percent from behind the arc a season ago. Additionally, Bloomsburg will be aided by the returns of Alison Hatajik (Duncansville, Pa./Hollidaysburg), Kelly Leszcynski (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth), and Maddie LaFrance (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin), all of whom have made at least 22 starts with the Huskies. 

Bloomsburg welcomed a new influx of talent to the team, bringing in eight new players. The group features five guards, one wing, and two forwards.

The Huskies begin their season on Friday, November 14, at 3:00 p.m. against West Virginia Wesleyan as part of the Jim Crawley Conference Challenge.

2025-26 PSAC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll (# of first-place votes in parentheses)

EAST

1. Lock Haven (6)

2. Kutztown (3)

3. Bloomsburg

4. West Chester

5. Millersville

6. East Stroudsburg

7. Shippensburg

8. Shepherd

9. Mansfield

WEST

1. Gannon (7)

2. Seton Hill (1)

3. IUP

4. California

5. Clarion

6. Edinboro

7. Slippery Rock

8. Pitt-Johnstown