Spokane -

Eight-time West Coast Conference Champion Gonzaga University women's basketball has been picked to finish second this year in a preseason vote of the league coaches.

The Bulldogs, who for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign were not picked to win the WCC, garnered four first-place votes and received 60 points.

Second-year member BYU was chosen as the favorite to claim the WCC women's basketball title, edging the Zags by one point. The Cougars, who defeated GU to win the 2012 WCC Tournament title, received five first-places votes and 61 overall points. 

Both Gonzaga and BYU received votes in the preseason USA Today Coaches' Top 25 released Tuesday. The Bulldogs garnered 43 votes to be the third team 'also receiving votes', while the Cougars received two votes.

Gonzaga is coming off another successful campaign where it earned its fourth-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament and reached the Sweet Sixteen for the third consecutive season.

Headlining the group of Bulldogs returnees is senior guard Taelor Karr and junior guard Haiden Palmer, who each were named to this year's WCC Preseason All-Conference team. Karr, the nation's reigning assist-to-turnover leader, averaged 7.5 points, 4.5 assists and 3.2 rebounds as a junior in 2010-11. Palmer was named the 2012 WCC Co-Newcomer of the Year after averaging 12.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 2.0 assists per game.

Overall, Gonzaga returns nine letterwinners from its 28-6, 14-2 WCC squad in 2011-12, including two starters.

Saint Mary's College was selected to finish third with 48 points and, like Gonzaga, had two players make the preseason all-conference squad; Danielle Mauldin and Jackie Nared.

The University of San Diego was picked to finish fourth in the WCC with a total of 36, followed by Pepperdine University in fifth with 33 points and Santa Clara University in sixth with 27 points.

Rounding out the preseason poll was Loyola Marymount University (7^th; 25 pts), University of Portland (8^th, 24 pts) and University of San Francisco (9^th, 10 pts).

The Bulldogs will host Eastern Oregon University in an exhibition contest Saturday at 2 p.m. and opens the regular season Friday, Nov. 9 at UC Riverside.

The complete preseason poll and all-conference team follows.

2012-13 WEST COAST CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL

Team (First Place Votes)	Points
1.  Brigham Young University (5)	61
2.  Gonzaga University (4)	60
3.  Saint Mary's College	48
4.  University of San Diego	36
5.  Pepperdine University	33
6.  Santa Clara University	27
7.  Loyola Marymount University	25
8.  University of Portland	24
9.  University of San Francisco	10

2012-13 PRESEASON ALL-WEST COAST CONFERENCE TEAM

Player	School	Yr.	Pos.
Alex Cowling	Loyola Marymount	RS-Sr.	G/F
Lexi Eaton	BYU	So.	G
Meagan Fulps	Santa Clara	Sr.	G
Jennifer Hamson	BYU	Jr.	C
Amy Kame	San Diego	Jr.	G
Taelor Karr	Gonzaga	Sr.	G
Danielle Mauldin	Saint Mary's	Jr.	F
Jackie Nared	Saint Mary's	Jr.	G
Haiden Palmer	Gonzaga	Jr.	G
Haley Steed	BYU	Gr.	G