SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The University of New England, the 2012-13 defending champion, has been unanimously voted as the favorite to win the 2013-14 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) women's basketball championship after receiving all ten first place votes for a total of 100 points in the CCC preseason poll. Roger Williams University earned second place with 85 points, while Salve Regina University, the 2012-13 runner-up, claimed third with 83 points and Endicott College was selected fourth after receiving 68 points to round out the top billing. Wentworth, which finished eighth a season ago, was selected to finish tied for eighth with Nichols College.

Voting for the preseason poll was conducted among the league's head women's basketball coaches.

The top four teams in the 2013-14 poll competed in the postseason at either the NCAA Tournament or the ECAC Tournament a season ago. After the Nor'easters captured their third CCC title, a 69-63 victory over the No. 3 seeded Salve Regina, their postseason continued with a 67-58 first round victory over Bridgewater State in the NCAA tournament. This was the first time in program history that the UNE women advanced to the second round. Unfortunately, the Nor'easters were handed a tough 71-34 loss in the second round by sixth-ranked Amherst. UNE concluded what was the most historic season in the program's history, totaling a school-record 25 victories and a program-best 20-game win streak. Roger Williams, Salve Regina, and Endicott also competed in the postseason at the ECAC tournament. However, the quarterfinal round of the tournament ended all three seasons, as the Hawks were handed a 66-58 loss from Westfield, the Seahawks were defeated by Wellesley, 54-42, and the Gulls lost in a tough 50-48 overtime battle to Suffolk.

Under the direction of first-year head coach Matt Phippard, the Wentworth women's basketball team, which earned its first Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament berth in four seasons last year, is poised to make a run at another CCC Tournament berth. Wentworth returns nine players from a season ago, including two-time All-CCC selection Kendra Kerr (Marshfield, Mass.). During her junior year, Kerr averaged 12.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. Sophomore Rachael Camara (Fall River, Mass.) started all 26 games as a freshman and averaged 5.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game while senior Ashley Stowe (Charlestown, R.I.) returns after averaging 5.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game as a junior.

2013-14 CCC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll

All 10 CCC women's basketball teams will kick off their quest for the 2013-14 conference title this weekend. The top eight teams in the 2013-14 regular-season conference standings will qualify for the conference tournament, which gets underway Tuesday, February 25, with quarterfinal action. The winners of the quarterfinal matchups will move on to the semifinals on Thursday, February 27. The two semifinal victors will battle for the CCC championship on Saturday, March 1.

The Leopards open the 2014-15 season this weekend at the Emerson College Tip-Off Tournament. Wentworth will play the host Lions on Saturday and either Elmira or Manhattanville on Sunday.

You can view the entire conference release and team capsules here.

(Contributions to this release courtesy of the Commonwealth Coast Conference Office)