The GW women’s basketball team’s redshirt junior forward Ivy Abiona had surgery Friday to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament, Assistant Sports Information Director Jesse Hooker confirmed yesterday.

The injury is yet another setback for Abiona, who sat out the 2007-08 season with a separate knee injury. The 6-foot-2 New Jersey native averaged 5.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per game this past season. She played in all 31 of the Colonials’ contests, starting 16 of them. Her 27 blocks were second on the team.

According to Hooker, no plans have been made to apply for a medical hardship redshirt as Abiona remains eligible through the 2010-11 season. Any such decisions would be made then, he said.

As of now, the presumed loss of Abiona for this upcoming season looks as though it would leave GW without any upperclassmen on the roster. Stefani Munro, a member of the team for the past three seasons, “will no longer be a participating member of the team next season or the following season,” Hooker explained in an e-mail. She is remaining at the University, however, and will have her scholarship honored by the program.

There is still the possibility that Antelia Parrish, second on the team in scoring and rebounding last season, could return for the fall semester. Parrish was a senior last year and would clearly be the Colonials’ most experienced player. Hooker said that there was “no new news” regarding Parrish and that he is not aware of any timetable for a decision to be made.