PINEVILLE, La. - The Lady Cats improved by three positions in the latest ESPN USA Today Division III Women's Basketball poll.

A week after cracking the top 25 for the first time this season, the Louisiana College women found themselves ranked No. 22.

On Monday, the Lady Cats were voted the No. 21 team in the nation by the polling committee for the D3Hoops.com poll.

The top five in this week's ESPN USA Today poll consisted of Amherst, Kena University, Illinois Wesleyan, Hope College and George Fox.

The extensive poll was as follows:
1 Amherst College (Mass.)
2 Kean University (N.J.)
3 Illinois Wesleyan University
4 Hope College (Mich.)
5 George Fox University (Ore.)
6 Washington University (Mo.)
7 William Paterson University (N.J.)
8 Marymount University (Va.)
9 Christopher Newport University (Va.)
10 Messiah College (Pa.)
T11 Calvin College (Mich.)
T11 Moravian College (Pa.)
13 Carthage College (Wis.)
T14 Thomas More College (Ky.)
T14 Tufts University (Mass.)
16 University of Scranton (Pa.)
17 University of Puget Sound (Wash.)
18 Muhlenberg College (Pa.)
19 DePauw University (Ind.)
20 Washington & Jefferson College (Pa.)
21 University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
22 Louisiana College
23 Lebanon Valley College (Pa.)
24 Simpson College (Iowa)
T25 Mount Union College (Ohio)
T25 State University of NY at Farmingdale
Dropped Out: University of Rochester (N.Y.), Bowdoin College (Maine).
Others Receiving Votes: University of Chicago (Ill.) - 11; University of Mary Washington (Va.) - 11; University of Wisconsin-River Falls - 7; University of Rochester (N.Y.) - 3; California Lutheran University - 2; Colby College (Maine) - 1.
The USA TODAY ESPN board of coaches is made up of nine head coaches at Division III institutions. All are members of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). The 2009-10 board: Nan Carney-DeBord - Non-voting Chair (Ohio Wesleyan University), Amie Bradley (Trinity University), Doreen Carden (Albion College), G.P. Gromacki (Amherst College), James Scheible (University of Rochester), Michele Sharp (Kean University), Mike Strong (University of Scranton), Nancy Fahey (Washington University-St. Louis) and Suzy Barcomb (University of Puget Sound).