Cornell women's basketball opens its season at UConn on Monday with most of last year's lineup returning and a goal of reaching the Ivy League Tournament.
The Big Red brings back 11 of the 13 players who appeared last season, accounting for about 81% of its scoring, according to Cornell's season outlook. Five first-year players join a team that improved to 9-18 overall and 4-10 in Ivy play in 2025-26, up from 7-20 and 3-11 a year earlier.
Monday's opener in Storrs begins at 5 p.m. and will stream on Peacock. Cornell hosts Fredonia on Nov. 5 before visiting Syracuse on Nov. 8.
Returning guards and seniors lead the offense
Seniors Rachel Kaus and Clarke Jackson anchor the returning group. Kaus led Cornell with 11.2 points per game and started all 27 games last season. Jackson averaged 9.6 points, collected a team-high 136 rebounds and started 26 games.
Kaus said she worked during the offseason to become stronger, faster and more versatile inside and outside. Jackson described progress as a series of small improvements in drills, practices and games.
Point guard Kelsey Langston started all 27 games and led the team with 89 assists. Paige Engels added 75 assists in 21 starts, while Audrey Chen made 25 3-pointers at a 34.2% rate.
The biggest departure is Emily Pape, who averaged 10.1 points and led Cornell with 54 3-pointers before beginning a professional career overseas. Coach Emily Garner said the team will develop a different identity rather than ask one player to replace her.
Garner sees more options to play smaller and faster or use bigger lineups. Five sophomores and five first-year players give the roster a young foundation beneath its veteran leaders.
Shooting and close-game experience provide a foundation
Cornell made 152 3-pointers at 31.8% last season, improving from 91 makes at 25.9% the previous year. Garner said improved spacing has helped open the offense, with increasing tempo a preseason priority.
The coach said Cornell finished second in the Ivy League in assists last season. Kaus pointed to the number of players capable of leading the scoring on a given night as a strength.
The Big Red also went 4-1 in games decided by five points or fewer. Jackson said the players practice handling those situations one possession at a time, concentrating on scoring and getting stops rather than the entire game at once.
Road wins at Columbia, 67-60, and Penn, 62-58, helped reinforce the group's confidence, Garner said. With much of the roster returning, those shared experiences give Cornell a foundation for the new season.
Challenging opener begins a 29-game schedule
Garner said the UConn trip follows the thinking behind last season's visit to Stanford: an early challenge can expose weaknesses and prepare the team for conference competition.
The nonconference road schedule also includes UAlbany, Loyola Maryland, Siena, Niagara, Monmouth and Buffalo. Canisius, Mercyhurst, Wagner, Le Moyne, St. Bonaventure and New Paltz are among the home opponents.
Cornell plays 14 of its 29 games at home. Ivy League competition begins Jan. 3 against Columbia at Newman Arena, and the regular season ends March 6 at Dartmouth.
Watching the Ivy League Tournament at Cornell last March sharpened the seniors' desire to take part this season. Kaus said seeing the event in person reinforced the team's ambition, while Jackson said it demonstrated the intensity and atmosphere the players need to prepare for.
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