MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee women's basketball continues to receive preseason praise from various sources this week, as the Associated Press touted redshirt senior forward Alysha Clark as an Honorable Mention All-American and the Blue Raiders earned a No. 26 national ranking in the preseason ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.

Clark, who led the nation in scoring last year with 27.5 ppg and has been selected to the preseason Wooden Award and Wade Trophy lists, was among 14 players to receive votes for the AP All-American Team after the organization tabbed its five-member squad. She was a member of the AP All-American Third Team in 2008-09.

Middle Tennessee was listed at No. 26 with 121 points in the preseason ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll released Wednesday. The Blue Raiders topped the Others Receiving Votes category after finishing last season ranked No. 29 in the final poll.

The 2009-10 team opened exhibition action Monday with a 96-68 win against Carson-Newman. Clark led all players with 23 points and 13 rebounds.

The Blue Raiders will play their next and final exhibition game at 5:30 p.m. Monday against Lincoln Memorial as part of a MT basketball doubleheader.

Preseason AP All-America First Team:
Maya Moore, Connecticut
Jayne Appel, Stanford
Tina Charles, Connecticut
Jantel Lavender, Ohio State
Monica Wright, Virginia

Preseason AP All-America Honorable Mention:
Alysha Clark, Middle Tennessee
Ashley Barlow, Notre Dame
Angie Bjorklund, Tennessee
Elena Delle Donne, Delaware
Alexis Gray-Lawson, California
Brittney Griner, Baylor
Allison Hightower, LSU
Danielle McCray, Kansas
Deirdre Naughton, DePaul
Nnemkadi Ogwumike, Stanford
Samantha Prahalis, Ohio State
Andrea Riley, Oklahoma State
Danielle Robinson, Oklahoma
Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga

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