Paige Bueckers is back.

After missing the 2022-23 season with an ACL injury, the UConn guard and 2021 Player of the Year has been cleared to play again, she announced Wednesday on her Instagram.

“All clear and ready for takeoff,” Bueckers wrote.

UConn’s roster was riddled with injuries throughout last season. In addition to season-ending injuries to Bueckers and freshman Ice Brady, Azzi Fudd, Caroline Ducharme and Dorka Juhász all missed significant time.

UConn still finished with a 31-6 record before losing to Ohio State in the Sweet 16, ending the program’s run of 16 straight Elite Eight appearances and 14 straight Final Fours. The feat was impressive, as UConn played parts of the season with just seven available players. But considering the squad’s historic postseason dominance, a Sweet 16 loss could still be categorized as disappointing.

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Now, with Bueckers healthy, the Huskies are poised to reassert their dominance.

The redshirt junior was also injured for a large portion of the 2021-22 season, so Huskies fans haven’t seen Bueckers at full strength since her Player of the Year campaign as a freshman. That season, Bueckers averaged 20 points, 5.8 assists and 4.9 rebounds while playing 36 minutes per game. In 2021-22, while not fully healthy, Bueckers put up 14.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game and led the Huskies to the NCAA championship game, where they lost to South Carolina.

Bueckers’ return has been highly anticipated, but she’s not the only weapon UConn boasts heading into the new season.

Aaliyah Edwards also returns for her senior season, after a junior campaign in which she played all 37 games for the Huskies and held the team together during difficult stretches. Edwards was named the Big East’s Most Improved Player and to the All-Big East First Team for her efforts. The forward, who spent the offseason representing Canada in the FIBA AmeriCup, averaged 16.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 blocks per game last season.

Fudd should also be healthy after a knee injury limited her playing time during her sophomore season. The 2021 No. 1 recruit played 15 games last season, averaging 15.1 points per contest and showing glimpses of her superstar potential.

Point guard Nika Mühl returns for her senior season after leading the team with 7.9 assists per game, and Aubrey Griffin will play as a graduate student after recording 11.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest in 2022-23.

Brady, the No. 5 recruit in 2022, is ready to make her UConn debut after being sidelined with a dislocated patella tendon. Ducharme, Ayanna Patterson, Amari DeBerry and Inez Bettencourt are also back, and the Huskies added two five-star freshmen to the roster (guards KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade) and one four-star (forward Qadence Samuels).

Currently, the Huskies have one injury to contend with. Jana El Alfy, a 6-5 center who joined the team last January and did not play, will miss the 2023-24 season with a ruptured Achilles.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman is gearing up to debut her Adidas Player Edition cleats this weekend, marking her return to the field by rocking the all-new F50 SPARKFUSION PE — a boot built by and for women athletes.

"Growing up as a kid in California, I could never have imagined a day where there would be a cleat literally inspired by me," the 2024 Olympic gold medalist said in a press release. "I can't wait to wear them."

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According to Adidas's Thursday release, designers worked to specifically engineer the boots to "excel with the speed and agility demands of the modern women's game."

To do so, the sportswear company researched the unique anatomy of the female foot to address the discomfort reported by women athletes when competing in unisex cleats.

Consequently, the F50 SPARKFUSION PE boasts key design adjustments to improve fit, arch support, stability, and comfort for women athletes. The boots also contain features to boost players' agility across multiple pitch surfaces.

In addition to the performance improvements, Rodman's Player Edition boots come in the 23-year-old USWNT star's favorite colors.

Grounded by a pearlescent white base alongside vibrant light blue details and bold pink stripes — an homage to Rodman's signature pink hair — the attacker's cleats aim to create "a dynamic look that captures Trinity's energy and personality."

Rodman will sport her Adidas Player Edition boots for the first time on Sunday, when her Washington Spirit host the Portland Thorns at 12:30 PM ET on ABC.

How to buy the Trinity Rodman F50 SPARKFUSION PE cleats

The Trinity Rodman Adidas F50 SPARKFUSION PE cleats are currently available for purchase online at adidas.com.

World No. 4 Brazil and No. 18 Colombia will take center stage on Saturday, when star-studded lineups full of NWSL talent will duke it out in the 2025 Copa América Femenina Final.

The Conmebol titans advanced to the continental tournament's grand finale via two distinctly different semifinals, as Colombia narrowly pushed past No. 32 Argentina in a penalty shootout on Monday before defending champions Brazil thrashed No. 63 Uruguay 5-1 on Tuesday.

Entering Saturday's match as the favorites, Brazil is led by reigning NWSL champion Marta, with the legendary attacker joined by fellow Orlando Pride midfielder Angelina as well as Gotham FC forward Gabi Portilho, Racing Louisville midfielder Ary Borges, and Kansas City Current goalkeeper Lorena.

Chasing a fifth straight and ninth overall Copa América title, there has never been a final in the tournament's 10 iterations to not feature Brazil.

On the other hand, Colombia is seeking their first-ever Conmebol crown behind a quartet of NWSL standouts: Washington Spirit midfielder Leicy Santos, Racing Louisville defender Ángela Barón, San Diego Wave defender Daniela Arias, and Utah Royals defender Ana María Guzmán.

Saturday's final will be the second straight and fourth overall to pit Colombia against Brazil, and comes just eight days after the pair faced off to a 0-0 draw in their final group-stage match — though notably, Brazil played the bulk of that game with 10 players after keeper Lorena earned a red card in the 24th minute.

How to watch the Copa América final

The 2025 Copa América Final kicks off at 5 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage airing on FS1.

With the US Open rapidly approaching — the WTA season's final Grand Slam — the tennis world's hardcourt titans are tuning up at the 2025 Canadian Open.

This year's tournament is in full swing up in Montréal, allowing players to hone their skills before next week's Cincinnati Open sets the tone for the annual New York City Slam.

Though stars like world No. 5 Mirra Andreeva, No. 9 Jasmine Paolini, and No. 11 Emma Navarro stumbled out of contention in the tournament's first two rounds, many heavy-hitters are still in play, including all three 2025 Grand Slam winners: Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, French Open victor No. 2 Coco Gauff, and newly crowned Wimbledon champ No. 3 Iga Świątek.

Joining Gauff in punching her ticket to Saturday's Round of 16 is fellow US player No. 32 McCartney Kessler, while Keys and several others in the US contingent — No. 4 Jessica Pegula, No. 7 Amanda Anisimova, and No. 116 Caty McNally — will battle to advance from the Round of 32 on Friday.

Other fan favorites are also still in the mix, including Japan's No. 49 Naomi Osaka and the UK's No. 33 Emma Raducanu, while 18-year-old phenom No. 85 Victoria Mboko is impressing as Canada's last-standing contender in play.

Notably sitting out this week is world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, with the 2024 US Open champ prioritizing her mental and physical rest ahead of her title defense.

How to watch the 2025 Canadian Open

The 2025 Canadian Open's Round of 32 continues throughout Friday before the Round of 16 takes the Montréal court on Saturday.

Continuous live coverage of the tournament will are on the Tennis Channel.

Two of the toughest WNBA stars will square off this weekend, as Minnesota Lynx forward and 2024 Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier will battle it out against Las Vegas Aces center and reigning MVP A'ja Wilson in a Saturday showdown.

As the league's top two scorers, the 23.8 points per game put up by Collier will meet the 22.1-point average posted by Wilson for the second time this season, with Saturday's rematch coming just over a week after the Lynx toppled the Aces.

"Our defense is so good…. We just make it hard, and when every shot is hard, eventually it wears a team down, and that's our goal every night," Collier said after Minnesota routed Las Vegas 109-78 last Friday.

With less than two games separating third from sixth place on the league table, the WNBA standings have never been tighter, sending the stakes of this weekend's games through the roof:

• No. 3 Phoenix Mercury vs. No. 5 Atlanta Dream, Friday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): A mere half-game behind the Mercury, the Dream can leapfrog two teams to claim third with a win on Friday, as Phoenix aims to galvanize behind their own MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas.

• No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 7 Las Vegas Aces, Saturday at 3 PM ET (ABC): Facing this season's undisputed top dogs on a two-game winning streak, the Aces will look to blank the Lynx at home in Las Vegas.

• No. 6 Indiana Fever vs. No. 4 Seattle Storm, Sunday at 3 PM ET (ABC): The Fever have remained hot despite the absence of an injured Caitlin Clark, and a Sunday result against the Storm could push Indiana into the league's upper echelon.