Augusta, GA – The North Georgia Lady
Saints were picked to finish sixth in the Peach Belt Conference
according to a poll released this afternoon by the league’s
head coaches. USC Aiken was picked to win the conference, followed
by Clayton State, Francis Marion, and Columbus State.
The Lady Saints enter the 2008-09 season with high expectations
after breaking on to the scene last year with their first-ever
Peach Belt Conference Tournament victory. Last season, the Lady
Saints posted a mark of 11-2 at home on their way to being ranked
for two straight weeks in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25.
Head Coach Buffie Burson returns for her 15th season, where she
accumulating a record of 324-124. The Lady Saints return
All-American Syretha Marble who looks to continue her dominance in
the Peach Belt Conference.
In 2007-08, Marble led the PBC in points at 20.6 as she averaged a
double double for the season. The coaching staff will rely on
guards Lindsey Kitchens and Brooke Baker to lead a young group of
players into the always-tough Peach Belt Conference.
The Lady Saints open the season in Mississippi with a pair of
games, taking on Southern Arkansas and Delta State before returning
back east for their home opener against Mars Hill.
The preseason poll is listed below. Teams were given 11 points for a first-place vote, 10 for second and so on.
| Rank | Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | Total |
| 1. | USC Aiken | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 90 |
| 2. | Clayton State | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 89 |
| 3. | Francis Marion | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 86 |
| 4. | Columbus State | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 76 |
| 5. | Lander | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55 |
| 6. | North Georgia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 51 |
| 7. | Augusta State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 45 |
| 8. | Armstrong Atlantic State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 44 |
| 9. | GCSU | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 38 |
| 10. | UNC Pembroke | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| 11. | Georgia Southwestern | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 |