#CAAHoops WBB Notebook – Nov. 1, 2026
CAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY RELEASE – Nov. 1, 2026
2026-27 SEASON TIP-OFF
The 2026-27 basketball season officially tips off Monday, Nov. 2, with 12 CAA teams in action on opening day. Hofstra and Georgia Tech open the season at 10:30 a.m. in the first game of the day, marking the start of a new campaign across the conference.
Hampton opens its season at Houston at 1 p.m., marking the first all-time meeting between the two programs. Campbell hosts Austin Peay at 6 p.m., while Drexel opens its season against Marist at the same time. Monmouth also takes the court at 6 p.m., hosting Binghamton in West Long Branch, N.J. Northeastern welcomes UAlbany to the Cabot Center for a 7 p.m. tip-off. Towson wraps up opening day with an 8 p.m. matchup against No. 10 Iowa, their first meeting since 2020, when they faced off in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
William & Mary, Stony Brook, Charleston, Elon, and North Carolina A&T will open their seasons against non-Division I opponents, facing Chowan, Molloy, Berry College, UNC Pembroke, and Wingate, respectively.
FOUR CAA TEAMS DRAW MID-MAJOR VOTES
The College Insider Women's Mid-Major Top 25 preseason poll features four CAA programs among its vote-getters to open the season. Monmouth leads the conference at No. 12 with 403 points, while Charleston (26), Drexel (15) and Elon (11) also received votes. Monmouth's No. 12 ranking follows its selection as the unanimous CAA Preseason favorite, marking the program's first time earning that distinction since joining the conference in 2022.
CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE
The reigning CAA champions return to the hardwood on Monday against Berry College, ushering in a new era under head coach Amanda Butler. Charleston captured its first-ever CAA Women's Basketball Championship in 2025-26, earning the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance.
Butler arrives in Charleston following two seasons as an assistant coach at Louisville, where she helped guide the Cardinals to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and a 51-19 record. Prior to Louisville, Butler spent six seasons as Clemson's head coach, earning 2018-19 ACC Coach of the Year honors.
THE JAQUES ERA BEGINS
Campbell enters the 2026-27 campaign with a new voice at the helm in Ali Jaques, who takes over a program coming off back-to-back 20-win seasons. The Camels posted 20 wins in 2025-26 after recording 22 victories in 2024-25. Defensively, Campbell set the standard in the CAA last season, leading the league in scoring defense (55.6 PPG) and blocks (5.0 BPG).
Jaques brings a winning pedigree to Buies Creek, having won at multiple levels throughout her career. As a player at NYU, she compiled a 101-15 (.871) record and helped lead the Violets to the 1997 NCAA Division III National Championship. Most recently, she served as associate head coach at Rhode Island, helping the Rams reach a program-record 28 wins and their first NCAA Tournament in 30 years.
CAMPBELL CAMELS
Campbell opens its season against Austin Peay, marking the beginning of the Ali Jaques era. The matchup is the first-ever meeting between the Camels and the Govs and the first of three contests this week. Campbell will face No. 25 NC State on Wednesday before closing the week against Davidson on Sunday.
Jasmine Felton, a Preseason All-CAA Second Team selection, paced the Camels with 6.1 rebounds per game and is the team's leading returning scorer after averaging 9.7 points per contest.
CHARLESTON COUGARS
Charleston opens the 2026-27 season with two home contests, hosting Berry College at TD Arena on Monday, Nov. 2, before welcoming Charleston Southern on Saturday.
Tyja Beans returns for the Cougars after scoring 331 points and adding 134 rebounds a season ago. Abby Jegede also returns to the CAA after spending the 2025-26 season at Tulsa. Jegede previously competed at Northeastern during the 2024-25 campaign, averaging 15.6 points per game for the Huskies.
DREXEL DRAGONS
The Dragons, who were picked third in the preseason poll, open the season at home against Marist on Monday before facing Penn on Friday.
Drexel enters the campaign following a 21-11 season, marking its first 20-win campaign since 2022-23, when the Dragons also finished with 21 victories.
Drexel returns Laine McGurk, who earned preseason recognition following a standout junior campaign. She averaged 12.8 points per game and recorded career highs in steals (33) and rebounds (125).
ELON PHOENIX
Elon opens the 2026-27 season by welcoming UNC Pembroke on Monday before traveling to Howard on Friday. The Phoenix finished last season 16-16, their most wins since going 17-12 in 2021-22. Elon also recorded its first CAA Tournament victory since 2020 with a 67-62 win over Hampton.
Elon returns nine players from its 2025-26 roster, including its leading scorer, LaNae' Corbett. Corbett averaged 11.7 points per game last season and earned Preseason All-CAA Second Team honors heading into the 2026-27 campaign.
HAMPTON PIRATES
Hampton opens its season with a pair of Texas opponents, traveling to Houston on Nov. 2 before making the trip to Dallas to face SMU on Nov. 5. The matchup against Houston marks the first-ever meeting between the programs, while the contest against SMU will be just the second all-time meeting.
Kayla Lezama and Kiki McElrath will spearhead the Pirates' attack after averaging 12.4 and 13.2 points per game, respectively, last season.
HOFSTRA PRIDE
Hofstra enters the season following a postseason run in which the Pride became the lowest seed (No. 10) in tournament history to reach the finals. Hofstra's runner-up finish at the 2026 CAA Women's Basketball Championship marked the second in program history, joining the 2015 squad.
The Pride will tip off the 2026-27 season in the first game on the CAA schedule, facing Georgia Tech on Monday at 10:30 a.m. Transfer Angel Jones looks to be a catalyst for the Pride's attack after averaging 9.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 24.1 minutes per game at Pitt last season.
MONMOUTH HAWKS
Monmouth returns to the court following a 21-12 overall record and a 12-6 conference mark during the 2025-26 campaign. It marked just the second time in the last 15 years that the program reached 20 wins. The Hawks open the season at home against Binghamton on Monday before hosting Lehigh on Friday.
Gigi Gamble earned Preseason Player of the Year honors and was joined on the Preseason All-CAA First Team by teammate and fifth-year forward Divine Dibula. Dibula earned Second Team All-CAA honors last season after averaging 13.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
N.C. A&T AGGIES
North Carolina A&T opens the season at home against in-state foe Wingate before traveling to Marshall on Friday. The Aggies look to build on last season's defensive effort, when they led the CAA with 26.3 defensive rebounds per game.
Senior forward Paris Locke was named to the Preseason All-CAA First Team. Locke enters her senior season after averaging 11.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a junior.
UNCW SEAHAWKS
UNCW enters the 2026-27 campaign looking to build on a season that saw the Seahawks earn their first CAA Tournament victory since 2021, defeating Northeastern 51-50 in overtime. The Seahawks are the only CAA program not in action on opening night, as they will host Barton College on Tuesday before facing N.C. Central on Saturday.
The Seahawks will look to the veteran leadership of senior guard transfer Kimmie Hicks, who joins UNCW from Loyola Maryland. Hicks averaged 9.5 points per game over 58 career appearances with the Greyhounds, including 8.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game last season.
NORTHEASTERN HUSKIES
Northeastern kicks off the season at the Cabot Center with its home opener on Monday before heading to Boston University on Friday.
The Huskies will look to Camryn Collins and Justice Tramble to lead the way. Collins led Northeastern with 320 points, averaging 11.4 points per game while starting all 29 contests and playing 29.1 minutes per game last season. Tramble paced the Huskies with 168 rebounds, averaging 5.8 per game, and ranked third on the team with 264 points.
STONY BROOK SEAWOLVES
Stony Brook opens nonconference play at home against Molloy on Monday before taking on Iona on Thursday. The matchup against Molloy marks the fifth all-time meeting between the programs, with the Seawolves holding a 4-0 series lead. Stony Brook last faced Iona on Dec. 21, 2023, earning a 71-49 victory.
Caitlin Frost returns for the Seawolves after totaling 294 points, 229 rebounds, 47 assists, 42 steals and 27 blocks last season.
TOWSON TIGERS
Towson opens its season against ranked opponent No. 10 Iowa before hosting its first home contest of the season against Frostburg State on Thursday. The matchup with Iowa marks the second all-time meeting between the programs, while the Tigers hold a 2-0 series lead over Frostburg State.
Towson ranked second in the CAA in scoring last season, averaging 66.4 points per game. The Tigers look to add to their offensive production with transfer Ava Renninger, who averaged 17.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game at Fairleigh Dickinson. Renninger also went a perfect 34-0 in NEC play over two seasons.
WILLIAM & MARY TRIBE
The Tribe open their home schedule on Monday, Nov. 2, against Chowan at 4 p.m. before traveling to Tennessee State on Thursday. William & Mary enters the season following a 17-win campaign in 2025-26, the second-most victories in a season under head coach Erin Dickerson Davis.
William & Mary returns standouts Cassidy Geddes and Monet Dance. Geddes scored in double figures 21 times last season, while Dance ranked second on the team with 104 assists and added 55 steals.
###