The Fleet’s first road trip of the season took them west—three games in five days: Seattle, Portland, then a rematch in Denver against the expansion team. For Lily Kane, twenty-five and in her second pro year, road trips were routine now: chartered flights, hotel checklists, pre-game naps. But this one felt different.

Her family was coming along.

It started as a half-joke over summer dinner. “If you ever play in Denver,” Everett had said, “we’re all flying out. No ...