With all due respect, the seniors of the Harvard women’s basketball team would like to put an end to any comparisons between themselves and the Class of ’95. Though the senior class of seven years ago finished with a solid 37-19 career Ivy record and placed second in the Ivies three times, it’s the only Harvard class since 1986 to graduate with ringless fingers.

This year’s senior class, which has placed second in the Ivies in back-to-back seasons, has dedicated itself this year to avoiding that fate.

“It’s pretty evident that this is the first class in a long time not to have won an Ivy title,” said senior guard Jenn Monti. “I’ve thought about what was missing freshman, sophomore and junior years, and I see the pieces that were missing on this year’s team. Hopefully we’ll be rewarded this time around.”

The reasons for Monti to expect a better result this season are legit.

The Crimson—the Ivy preseason favorite for the first time in four years—returns more prolific scorers than any other team in the league. With much of that scoring coming from sophomores Tricia Tubridy and reigning Ivy Rookie of the Year Hana Peljto, the learning curve for the team is still steep. That alone makes a huge difference.

“This year is a completely different year,” Peljto said. “There is just a different mentality and a different offense. Obviously, I’m a year older, so hopefully I’ll have better control of my game.”

Peljto, a 6’2 forward born in Bosnia and one of the most acclaimed Minnesota high school basketball stars of all-time, averaged 16.1 ppg as a freshman last year. That mark was second only to the Ivy League’s all-time leading scorer Diana Caramanico, now graduated from Penn. Peljto’s 8.1 rebounding average was third in the Ivies behind only Caramanico and Dartmouth junior Katherine Hanks.

Already Harvard Coach Kathy Delaney-Smith has been impressed to see Peljto passing the ball more often, which makes her own offense even easier. But an even more radical improvement would be a more defensive-minded Peljto. That would complement the team’s oft-repeated mantra that with the talent it has, the offense will come through, but it’s the defense that wins games.

“I think I want Hana to make defense a priority,” Delaney-Smith said. “We’ll do that in practices and if we consistently stay with that as our focus, it’ll show up in games.”

Tubridy, a 6’0 small forward from high school superpower Christ the King in New York, finished second on the team in points (8.3 ppg) and rebounds (6.3 rpg) despite not starting for the early part of last season. Her improvement and increased playing time over the course of the season was a major difference between Harvard’s 1-10 start and its 11-5 finish down the stretch.

Increased production from Peljto and Tubridy this season won’t come based on their merits alone, however. The addition of 6’3 freshman Reka Cserny—a Hungarian junior national team player—is expected to make life that much easier for the returning players.

Cserny is a rare elite player who had her heart set on Harvard as soon as she began her college search. She was admitted along with the 2004 class and then deferred a year to compete in the European Championships. She caught the fancy of several American college coaches recruiting at the tournament, but she turned them all away.

Cserny’s presence gives Harvard the tall, reliable option inside that the Crimson has been missing since sisters Melissa Johnson ’01 and junior Sarah Johnson began to struggle with injuries. But Cserny is more than just a body down low. She is also a respected defender with a three-point shot who can run the floor.

“She’s going to have a great career here because she’s not one-dimensional,” Delaney-Smith said. “She’s not a post player. She’s not a perimeter player. She does a little bit of everything.”

Beyond the three young scorers, the Crimson starting lineup is rounded out by two longtime starters, Monti and co-captain Katie Gates.