The Washington Huskies women’s basketball team will begin their season against the UC San Diego Tritons at 6 p.m. PT on Nov. 2 at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle. When UW hits the court for the first time in the 2026-27 season, the team will be entering the season with legitimate aspirations towards potentially winning a Big Ten title.
It will be the first time since the Kelsey Plum-led Huskies a decade ago. A large part of Washington’s title aspirations this season has to do with the roster it’s built and retained in the offseason.
Advertisement
The Huskies retained all three of their players who received All-Big Ten honors a season ago, sophomore forward Brynn McGaughy, senior guard Sayvia Sellers and junior guard Avery Howell.
The team also made several additions via a transfer portal. Two of those additions, sophomore forward Kaelyn Carroll and senior guard Macey Huard, recently sat down for interviews posted across the team’s official social media accounts to introduce themselves and explain their reasons for joining the program.
Huard has a family connection to Washington that spans multiple generations across several branches of the clan.
Huard’s parents both participated in UW athletics. Her father, Brock Huard, played quarterback for the Huskies football team. Her mother, Molly Huard, played on the women’s basketball team as a guard from 1995-99.
Advertisement
“My parents just set a really good example of what hard work and determination look like,” Huard said in a video posted on “X” by the team’s official account. “And just getting to play at the school that my parents played at is absolutely amazing. I walk outside, and these are the sidewalks my parents walked on.”
Huard transferred from Oklahoma State after two years with the program. She missed all of last season due to foot surgery. In her last season on the court with the Cowgirls in the 2024-25 season, she averaged 6.4 points across 31 games (three starts) on 39.5% shooting from the floor (32.3% from 3-point range). She also averaged 3.5 rebounds.
“I’m very excited (for this upcoming season),” Huard said. “And then winning, I’m ready to win some games with these people.”
Advertisement
Carroll, a 6-foot-3 forward, headed to the Pacific Northwest after one year with the Kentucky Wildcats last season.
“I chose to come to Washington because of the culture that coach (Tina Langley) has instilled into the program,” Carroll said in a video posted to the team’s official Instagram account. “Just right away, when I came on my visit here, just meeting the girls and how they act and love each other on and off the court, that’s something that I really wanted to be a part of.”
In her lone year in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) with the Wildcats, Carroll averaged 3.4 points on 35% shooting from the floor (30.9% from beyond the arc) in 34 games. He also brought in 2.2 rebounds per game.
Advertisement
It’s unclear exactly how Langley plans to organize the starting five and rotation. Two starters from last year, guards Elle Ladine and Hannah Stines, graduated.
This leaves two spots available on the starting five with Sellers, Howell and McGaughy. And with the talent the team has added, even those who don’t start could comprise one of the most talented benches, on paper, in the conference.
