With a veteran core and a squad that saw a four-win improvement last year, the Case Western Reserve University women's basketball team will look to take another leap forward when it takes the court for the 2026-27 campaign.
The Spartans finished last season with an 11-14 overall record, including a 4-10 mark in University Athletic Association games, tying the squad for sixth-place in the league. CWRU averaged 65.0 points per game, ranking fourth in the conference, in large part due to the team's prowess outside the perimeter. The Spartans averaged 7.6 made three-pointers per game, the second-most in the UAA and 29th among all NCAA Division III teams during the 2025-26 season. The team also ranked second in the league in turnovers forced per game (16.16), turnover margin (+1.4), and offensive rebounds per game (15.0). CWRU was 11-5 against unranked teams during the year.
The Spartans will need to replace their top scorer from last season, all-UAA second-team honoree Emily Plachta, who averaged 15.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, while also leading the squad with 32 blocks and adding 29 steals. However, CWRU is set to return 11 players, including a four-player senior class that is set to guide the team this season.
Senior guard Mya Hartjes, an all-UAA first team selection last year, is set to run the team from the point guard spot once again. Last year, she solidified her spot as one of the top guards in the conference, totaling 389 points (15th in program history), while averaging 15.6 points per game with 6.6 rebounds and a UAA-best 4.0 assists. Her 55 three-pointers made were tied for the fourth-most ever by a Spartan, and her 41.0% shooting from beyond the arc was the second-highest in team history and 12th among all Division III players. She will enter her senior year needing just 124 points to become the 18th player in program history to surpass 1,000 career points, and her 38.1% mark from three-point range over her career is the best by a Spartan player.
Senior forward Maura Schorr emerged as a threat in the post, claiming an honorable mention to the All-UAA team after leading the Spartans with 7.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game with 11.2 points per contest. Rounding out the senior class are guard Jordyn Call, who started 24 contests last year and added 7.2 points per game, and forward Biz Watson, who added a well-rounded 3.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.
A veteran addition to the lineup is graduate student guard Tyler Hormazabal, who played in 73 career games at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, totaling 480 points and averaging 6.6 points, 2.3 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game. She is expected to provide a significant defensive presence for the Spartans as well in 2026-27.
The CWRU junior class should feature several players who are ready to take another step forward in their careers. Guard/forward Taylor Angielski played in 24 games off the bench last season and added a boost behind the arc for the team, shooting 35.1% and adding 4.4 points per contest. Guard Mila Rossini (0.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg) and guard/forward Lauren Ludwig (2.5 ppg, 0.7 rpg) should also provide contributions to this year's squad.
In addition, the sophomore class of guard Abby Sirois and Ava Jordan, and forward Christen Banks (1.8 ppg, 1.1 rpg) and Clara Swanson, could see their roles increase with a full season of experience behind them.
Adding to the team's depth this season are four first-year players - guard Manuella Glover, point guard Lyla Jablon, forward/center Kelsey Piehl, and guard/forward Ella Mercadante - who will each try to have an impact on the team's success during the first year of college basketball.
CWRU will be under the leadership of veteran head coach Jennifer Reimer, who has a 358-349 record over her 28-year career, including a 201-248 record during her 18 seasons with the Spartans. She will be assisted by Brooke Beecher, Madison Gutierrez, Derrick Russell, and Emi Hutter-DeMarco.
The Spartans schedule once again appears to be a challenging one, with 11 games against top-25 teams (including three against teams ranked in the top-two nationally to begin the season), and three additional games against teams receiving votes in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top-25. CWRU will open the campaign against Chatham and Washington & Jefferson (which received votes in the preseason poll) at the Coach Vicki Staton Tipoff Classic in Washington, Pennsylvania this weekend. The Spartans will then turn their attention to a mid-week game at 22nd-ranked John Carroll and a game next weekend at Adrian, before heading to Alliance, Ohio, for the Mount Union Tournament, which could include a matchup against fourth-ranked Hope.
Another non-conference highlight will be the Spartans' home opener on Saturday, December 5, against reigning National Champions and top-ranked Denison at Horsburgh Gymnasium.
CWRU will begin its UAA schedule at home against 25th-ranked Carnegie Mellon on January 9, the first of 10 conference games against opponents that are either ranked or receiving votes in the preseason top-25. The Spartans will take on second-ranked NYU on the road on January 17 and at home on February 14, while playing a stretch of four consecutive games against ranked teams (seventh-ranked WashU and 10th-ranked UChicago) from January 29 through February 7. CWRU is slated to wrap up its regular season on February 27 at Carnegie Mellon.
The Spartans are hoping that the hungry group of veterans and talented newcomers can withstand the tough schedule to lead the team to its first winning campaign since the 2022-23 season.
