GREENVILLE, S.C. – With tip-off of the 2025-26 basketball season just weeks away, Conference Carolinas has released its Preseason Coaches Poll, with the Valkyries tabbed 11th in the league.

Conference Carolinas also released its list of Players to Watch and junior center Tatiana Brown, freshman guard Madison Fileen and senior guard Mazie Helpman were all tabbed with the distinction.

Brown, a junior from Virginia Beach, Virginia, is the lone returner tabbed with the honor. In her first season with the Valkyries, she averaged 10.8 points per game and accounted for 16% of the team's total points despite missing four games. She averaged 3.5 rebounds per game and had the second-highest free throw percentage on the team among qualified players.

Fileen, a freshman from Monroe, New York, was a four-year varsity standout at Monroe-Woodbury High School. She was the school's first female basketball player to reach 1,000 career points and was recognized with the 2024 BCANY Top 50 Player in New York State Award, helping lead her team to the 2023 Section 9 Class AA championship, a 2023 Subregional championship, and a run to the 2023 New York state Regional Finals.

Helpman, a senior from Bryson City, North Carolina, joined the Valkyries after spending the first three years of her collegiate career at Catawba College. She appeared in 62 games during her time at Catawba. Last season in a game against UVA Wise, Helpman posted a career-high 12 points on 4-7 shooting from the field, 1-4 from beyond the arc, and 3-3 from the charity stripe.

The 2024-25 Conference Carolinas runner-up, Francis Marion, were selected to finish first in 2025-26. They received 221 points and 11 of the available 15 first-place votes. The defending conference champions, Belmont Abbey, were selected to finish second and received two first-place votes.

UNC Pembroke and Chowan finished third and fourth respectively, each receiving one first-place vote. The Braves received 192 points while Chowan garnered 184 points.

Young Harris, Shorter and Barton are slated next in the pole. The Mountain Lions, in fifth place, accumulated 178 points, the highest total of any team without a first-place vote. Shorter received 155 points while Barton had 131.

Emmanuel and King round out the single-digit finishes with 124 points and 115 points respectively.

Lees-McRae is the final team ranked ahead of Converse, with 93 points in 10th place.

The Valkyries are slotted at number 11 with 81 points.

North Greenville, Mount Olive, Southern Wesleyan, Erskine and conference-newcomer Ferrum round out the pole.

The Valkyries tip-off the regular season on Friday, Nov. 14 as they take on Middle Georgia State University in the Conference Crossover hosted by Lincoln Memorial University. The game is set to begin at 6 P.M.

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