Belhaven was picked fourth in the 2026-27 CCS women’s basketball preseason coaches poll, the conference announced Tuesday. The Blazers received 26 points and one first-place vote, one point behind third-place Asbury.
Piedmont and defending champion LaGrange tied for the top spot with 30 points. Piedmont received three first-place votes and LaGrange received two. Asbury had 27 points and one first-place vote.
Belhaven went 19-7 overall and 11-5 in conference play last season. Its 19 wins were the program’s most in 15 seasons. The Blazers earned the No. 2 seed in the CCS Tournament and reached the conference championship game for the third consecutive year. They beat every conference opponent at least once during the regular season for the second straight season, according to the team.
The Blazers averaged 76.7 points per game, the second-highest mark in program history, and held opponents to 34.6% shooting from the field. Belhaven beat Asbury 88-79 in the conference semifinals before losing to LaGrange 69-62 in the title game.
Senior forward Jasi Jenkins leads a returning group of five players. She averaged 10.4 points and 6.0 rebounds in 20 appearances, shooting 51.2% from the field. Jenkins recorded 29 steals and scored a career-high 23 points against Millsaps on Nov. 18.
Senior forward Amanda Walker averaged 3.9 points and 3.1 rebounds and led Belhaven with 21 blocks. She had 14 points and 13 rebounds against Piedmont in February. Senior guard Kamren Edwards played in all 26 games, averaging 3.7 points and collecting 24 steals. Guards Neeli Magee and Zoey Cade also return, while 14 newcomers join the roster.
Belhaven’s season schedule lists its opener against East Texas Baptist for Nov. 6 in Marshall, Texas, at 7 p.m. The calendar lists the Blazers’ home debut against Lyon for Nov. 13 at 5:30 p.m. at Rugg Arena.
