CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas –Returning two of the Southland Conference's top-three scorers in
Makinna Serrata and
Alecia Westbrook, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's basketball team was picked to finish in first-place in the 2022-23 Preseason Poll.
Additionally, Serrata and Westbrook were both tabbed to the preseason All-Conference First-Team.
The Islanders are coming off their first undefeated home season in program history with a 14-0 mark under head coach
Royce Chadwick, who became the winningest coach in Southland Conference history after topping the league's record book with 211 career conference wins. A&M-Corpus Christi posted a 19-10 overall record which more than tripled its previous season's win total and brought back its five leading scorers.
"We are both honored and flattered to be voted first," said Chadwick. "It's a great incentive for our fans to get tickets. We need our Islanders to be loud and keep A&M-Corpus Christi the toughest place in the league to play at."
Serrata was the 2022 SLC Student-Athlete of the Year, a 2021-22 All-Conference First-Team selection, and earned an All-Texas Honorable Mention. She also got herself voted to the 2022 SLC All-Tournament Team after pouring in a game-high 25 points in the semifinal game, including 17 in the fourth quarter and was 10-of-16 from the floor. Serrata led the Islanders and ranked second in the conference in scoring with 14.5 points per game.
Westbrook was named the 2021-22 Dave Campbell All-Texas Defensive Player of the Year. She was honored on the All-Texas Third-Team and SLC All-Conference First-Team after averaging a double-double of 13.3 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Westbrook ended the season ranked top-25 in the nation in rebounding and top-20 in free throws made.
The Islanders will open with an exhibition game at home against Huston-Tillotson on Monday, Oct. 31. The regular season will begin on the road at Texas Tech on Monday, Nov. 7., with the official home opener set for Wednesday, Nov. 16, against Texas Lutheran at 7 p.m. in the Dugan Wellness Center.
Tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at goislanders.com/tickets or by phone at 361-825-BALL (2255). The ticket office can also be reached via email at
tickets@tamucc.edu.
SLC PRESEASON POLL
| Pl |
School |
1st |
Points |
| 1 |
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
11 |
148 |
| 2 |
HCU |
5 |
131 |
| 3 |
Southeastern |
3 |
122 |
| 4 |
Lamar |
|
103 |
| 5 |
Texas A&M-Commerce |
1 |
101 |
| 6 |
McNeese |
|
98 |
| 7 |
UIW |
|
64 |
| 8 |
Northwestern State |
|
61 |
| 9 |
New Orleans |
|
47 |
| 10 |
Nicholls |
|
25 |
PRESEASON FIRST-TEAM
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Cl. |
Hometown |
| Kaili Chamberlin |
McNeese |
G |
So. |
Medford, Ore. |
| Candice Parramore |
Northwestern State |
G |
Gr. |
Dallas, Texas |
| Makinna Serrata |
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
G |
R-Sr. |
Tilden, Texas |
| Alecia Westbrook |
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
F/C |
Sr. |
Kansas City, Mo. |
| Kennedy Wilson |
HCU |
G |
Sr. |
Mansfield, Texas |
PRESEASON SECOND-TEAM
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Cl. |
Hometown |
| Akasha Davis |
Lamar |
F/C |
So. |
Wylie, Texas |
| Hailey Giaratano |
Southeastern |
G |
Jr. |
Ponchatoula, La. |
| Desirae Hansen |
McNeese |
G |
Sr |
Rainier, Ore. |
| Dyani Robinson |
Texas A&M-Commerce |
G |
Jr. |
Cypress, Texas |
| Julija Vujakovic |
HCU |
G |
Gr. |
Bereldange, Luxembourg |
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@Islanders_WBB) and Instagram (
@IslandersWBB).
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