SEATTLE (Jan. 8) -- Matching its all-time best ranking, the Seattle Pacific University women's basketball team moved up two places to No. 6 in this week's USA Today/ESPN coaches poll.

The Falcons (3-1, 11-2) have won five out of six since the last ratings in mid-December with the only loss at No. 2 Cal Poly Pomona Dec. 28. SPU resumes Great Northwest Athletic Conference play Thursday night at Alaska Anchorage.

Seattle Pacific was also No. 6 in early December and during the 1998 season.

Western Washington, which Seattle Pacific defeated at home last week, is the only other GNAC team in the rankings at No. 25.

Regionally, SPU is fifth in this week's poll conducted by the NCAA. The rating, weighted heavily on strength of schedule, shows Cal Poly Pomona at No. 1, followed by Cal State Bakersfield, Montana State Billings, Sonoma State, SPU, UC Davis, Chico State, Western Washington, Western Oregon and Alaska Fairbanks.

The Seattle Pacific men's team, currently 10th nationally, are No. 3 in the West Region this week, behind Cal State San Bernardino and Humboldt State. Hawaii Hilo, Cal State Bakersfield, BYU Hawaii, Western Washington, Hawaii Pacific, MSU Billings and Cal Poly Pomona.

The USA TODAY/ESPN Top 25 women's basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, record, total points and previous ranking:

Dropped Out:Central Washington (24); Bellarmine (25)

Others Receiving Votes: Mesa State 53 (1); Lake Superior State 47; Central Missouri State 45; Johnson C. Smith 42; Arkansas-Monticello 37; Mars Hill 29; American International 28; St. Mary¹s (TX) 21; Sonoma State 19; Adelphi 11; Midwestern State 9; Montana State-Billings 7; Northern State 7; Cal State-Bakersfield 6; Southeastern Oklahoma State 6; Nebraska-Kearney 4; Francis Marion 3; Pittsburg State 2; Bloomfield 1; Cameron 1; Central Washington 1; Southwest Baptist 1.