SPU Women Start Basketball Season at No. 3 in National Poll
November 10, 2004

SEATTLE (Nov. 10) ­ Seattle Pacific University will open the women's basketball season where it left off, ranked No. 3 among NCAA Division II schools. The poll is sponsored by USA TODAY/ESPN/WBCA.

The Falcons, who were 30-1 and both Great Northwest Athletic Conference and NCAA West Region champions, will begin play Nov. 19 at home against Portland's Warner Pacific.

It is the highest preseason ranking for an SPU team. It began last season at 22nd. The Falcons will visit No. 7 North Dakota Nov. 26 in Grand Forks.

Defending national champion California (Pa.) got 21 of 24 first-place votes and is No. 1, ahead of runner-up Drury (Mo.), which eliminated SPU in the Elite Eight. The only other West teams included in the rankings are Cal State Bakersfield at No. 21 and Cal Poly Pomona at No. 25.

Seattle Pacific was installed as the preseason favorite in the GNAC last week. It was No. 9 in a preseason poll conducted by the Division II Bulletin.