After missing eight games across two stints with a shoulder injury as a freshman, Blanca Quiñonez underwent successful surgery at UConn Health on Monday, May 18 to repair a torn labrum in her left shoulder. According to the school, she’s expected to be ready for the 2026-27 season, though it didn’t elaborate further on her timeframe for recovery.

Quiñonez missed the first two games of the campaign after injuring her shoulder in practice a few days prior to the Huskies’ matchup with Louisville in Annapolis. She aggravated that same shoulder again in January and despite Auriemma insisting that “this one’s not as bad as that (first) one), Quiñonez sat out six contests.

Despite the lingering shoulder issues, she starred in her first season at UConn, winning Big East Freshman and Sixth Woman of the Year while also earning a spot on the All-Big East Second Team and Fort Worth 1 All-Regional Team. Quiñonez averaged 10.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.0 blocks while shooting 53.6 percent overall and 39.5 percent from three as a freshman.

The Huskies have a lot riding on Quiñonez entering the 2026-27 season. With Azzi Fudd off to the WNBA, UConn is counting on the sophomore to step up as Sarah Strong’s new sidekick.

“Blanca going from playing 17 minutes a night to playing 27-30 minutes a night changes the dynamic of the team,” Auriemma said in May.