FOREST, Va. – Flexing a strong collection of returning contributors and freshman recruits, the Guilford College women's basketball team was selected for a sixth-place finish in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll heading into the 2025-26 season, as announced by the conference offices on Tuesday.

"This year we are excited about our mix of returners who have played impactful minutes, as well as some new faces," Women's Basketball Head Coach, Sarah Mathews said. "We are thrilled with how our seven newcomers have quickly picked up on concepts these last few weeks. We hope to score quick buckets in transition and continue with our swarming full-court press.  That style is fun to coach, play in, and hopefully for the fans, fun to watch!"

Losing five members of their rotation from last season, the Quakers return a good amount of experience although posing the question of "who will score?" is a worthwhile discussion after their top-two scorers from last winter depart. That question does get a little easier to answer when factoring in the return of one of the ODAC's most-skilled distributors in Julianna Walter (Taylorsville, N.C.) though. Ranking fourth in the league and 132^nd in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, the senior is comfortable in Guilford's system now entering her second-full season after netting 7.2 points while shooting just a tick under 40% from the field. She came roaring out of the gates scoring-wise last season, but hit a lull around mid-December, so maintaining her scoring figures this season would be a significant boost, and there's another potential level there if she is able to improve her touch from range. It is a similar story for versatile wing Briahna Scott (Graham, N.C.), GC's top-returning source of points, after averaging 7.5 per game last season. She showcased a supremely well-rounded game, finishing third on the team in points, steals, blocks, and assists, as well as fifth in rebounding, and now, entering her second season as a starter, the usual upperclassman leap would play a major role in team success. Senior Taylor Dunn (Charlotte, N.C.) really hit her stride after the calendar turned to 2026, and as the Quakers' top three-point shooter from last season she provides strong spacing and will see a broader role, as will Markayla Massenburg (Raleigh, N.C.). All this is projection, but there is one player who has done it before and could be identified as the singular individual that will determine the team's success this season, that being 2024 D3Hoops.com All-Region pick Anna Giannopoulou (Athens, Greece).
 

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