October 16, 2023 – After reaching the semifinal round of the ASUN Tournament last year and having one the best seasons in program history, Lipscomb Women’s Basketball has been picked to finish second in the ASUN Preseason Coaches and Media Poll, the league announced Monday morning. Bella Vinson, Aleah Sorrentino, and Jalyn Holcomb also earned themselves a spot on the Preseason All-ASUN Team.
In the Bisons’ fourth season under the direction of head coach Lauren Sumski, the group tied the program record for wins at 20 The Bisons also won the most regular season wins (18) in program history and won the most conference games (13) since the 2003-04 campaign.
Sumski returns 10 of the 11 players from last year’s group, including all five starters, and has added three talented freshmen to the 2023 roster.
Reigning ASUN First Team selection, Bella Vinson is back for another season after a breakout sophomore campaign. Vinson led the Bisons in scoring at 14.0 points per game and three-pointers made (71) while shooting at a 39 percent clip. The forward from Manchester, Tennessee, ranked fifth in the nation in clutch scoring, according to Synergy Sports, and scored in double figures 23 times, including eight games with 20+ points. She also earned ASUN All-Academic Team honors a season ago.
Sorrentino made a massive impact in her first season with the Bisons after transferring from Ole Miss in 2022. The Palm Bay, Florida native averaged 12.6 points per game, tied for second on the team. She also led the team in offensive rebounding (94), which tied a program record, and rebounds per game (8.4). She scored in double figures 21 times and recorded six double-doubles against competition in 2022.
Holcomb returns for her fifth season at Lipscomb after making the All-ASUN Third-Team list in 2022. She eclipsed the 1,000-point club last season, becoming just the eighth player in the DI era to reach that milestone. She is currently third all-time in scoring at 1,178 behind program greats Ashley Southern and Jenna Bartsokas. Last year, she finished second on the team in points per game at 12.9 while shooting a career-high 42.5 percent from the floor. The Murfreesboro, Tennessee, native made a career-high 54 three-pointers at a 34 percent clip. She also dished out a career-high 77 assists, the second-highest on the team, and was the team’s second-leading rebounder at 5.2 per game.
Lipscomb will start the season on the road at Evansville on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. CT before hosting Fairfield in their home opener on Friday, Nov. 10 at 11 a.m. CT. For more coverage of Lipscomb Women’s Basketball, follow the Bisons on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram @lipscomb_wbb and @lipscombwbb.
2023-24 ASUN Conference Women’s Basketball Preseason Awards
Preseason Player of the Year: Antwainette Walker, EKU
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Gracie Merkle, Bellarmine
ASUN Women’s Basketball Preseason All-ASUN Team
*Antwainette Walker – EKU
*Gracie Merkle – Bellarmine
*Shamarre Hale – Austin Peay
*Bella Vinson – Lipscomb
Alice Recanati – EKU
Uju Ezeudu – FGCU
Aleah Sorrentino – Lipscomb
Jalyn Holcomb – Lipscomb
Lyric Swann – North Florida
Khamya McNeal – Stets* – Denotes unanimous selection
Preseason Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll
- FGCU (10) – 142
- Lipscomb (2) – 128
- EKU – 121
- Austin Peay – 107
- Kennesaw State – 84
- Stetson – 78
- North Alabama 72
- Bellarmine 65
- Jacksonville 48
- Central Arkansas 35
- North Florida 33
- Queens 23
(#) – denotes first-place votes
Preseason Women’s Basketball Media Poll
- FGCU (38) – 500
- Lipscomb – 434
- EKU – 368
- Austin Peay – 368
- Kennesaw State – 278
- North Alabama – 276
- North Florida (2) – 234
- Stetson – 234
- Jacksonville – 214
- Bellarmine – 186
- Central Arkansas – 106
- Queens – 78
Source: Lipscomb Sports
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