LEBANON, Tenn.--Cumberland Women's Basketball received votes in the latest NAIA Women's Basketball Top 25 Coaches' Poll, released Wednesday. It marks the second poll of the 2025-26 season in which Cumberland has appeared, checking in with 10 votes following another strong stretch of play.
Cumberland enters the week with a 14-3 overall record, including an unblemished 8-0 mark at home, as the Phoenix have positioned themselves among the NAIA's most consistent teams through the season's midpoint.
The Phoenix have been one of the NAIA's most efficient offensive teams, averaging 77.6 points per game, which ranks 31st nationally, while shooting 43.4 percent from the field and 33.2 percent from three-point range, both top-50 marks. Cumberland has also been strong at the free-throw line, converting 74.0 percent of its attempts and ranking 14th nationally in total free throws made.
Defensively, Cumberland has paired scoring with discipline, holding opponents to 61.1 points per game and limiting opposing three-point shooting to 26.5 percent, both among the better marks nationally. The Phoenix also own a +7.5 rebounding margin, ranking 27th in the NAIA, while forcing 20.5 turnovers per contest.
Individually, Cumberland's balance has fueled its national profile. Ty Buckley leads the team at 15.8 points per game, while Emaleigh Tarpley (12.4 ppg) and Braley Bushman (12.1 ppg) provide consistent scoring support. Tarpley has also been a force on the glass, averaging 7.9 rebounds per game, while Riley Long adds interior efficiency at 51.9 percent shooting. The Phoenix have four players in double figures.
Dordt University reclaimed the top spot in the NAIA Women's Basketball Top 25 after an eight-game winning streak, earning nine first-place votes to move to No. 1 with a 16-1 record. Bethel (Tenn.) slid one position to No. 2 despite holding a 17-1 mark, narrowly trailing Dordt by three points in the voting. Campbellsville remained steady at No. 3 with a 16-1 record and one first-place vote, while Marian (Ind.) climbed to No. 4 after another strong week, also collecting a first-place vote. Rounding out the top five, Freed-Hardeman continued its unbeaten season, rising to No. 5 with a perfect 17–0 record and two first-place votes.
The Mid-South Conference continues to assert itself as one of the nation's premier leagues, with every team ranked or receiving votes in the latest poll. Bethel leads the conference at No. 2, followed closely by Campbellsville at No. 3, while Freed-Hardeman climbed to No. 5 after remaining undefeated. Cumberlands slid to No. 14, and Georgetown, Cumberland, and Lindsey Wilson all appear among the receiving-votes teams.
The Phoenix will be on the road tomorrow to take on No. 14 Cumberlands at 4:30 p.m. central time in the O. Wayne Rollins Center.
