LSU Women’s Basketball Transfer Kate Koval Of Ukraine Via Notre Dame Has Found A New Home

By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter

LSU’s new transfer forward Kate Koval realized she needed a change after playing her freshman season at Notre Dame last year.

After she entered the Transfer Portal in April, it wasn’t like LSU had to do any significant background checks. Coach Kim Mulkey had already recruited her out of Long Island Lutheran High in New York, the previous year.

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“I think LSU had a huge advantage on me, because I’d seen the school. I visited the school. I know the staff,” she said. “I know what they’re all about and how their program is.”

Koval committed to the Tigers on April 7 after a cursory look.

“I would say it was just a better fit for me,” Koval said.

It helped that Koval’s brother Nick currently attends LSU as a graduate student.

“Me and my brother live together now, and we have an eight year age gap, so this is the closest we’ve ever been my whole life,” she said. “We see each other every single day. We go get coffee every weekend. That’s our little routine.”

Another brother, Oleksi plays youth hockey in Amarillo, Texas, .

“I think coming to LSU really allowed me to be closer to my family,” said Koval, who is from Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. “We’re all kind of close. Now, when my mom comes to visit us, she’s only got to go to one place.”

Koval averaged 5.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.7 blocks a game last season and made the All-Atlantic Coast Conference freshmen team. LSU

When Koval got to Baton Rouge over summer, LSU coaches immediately began working on her stamina.

“I’m definitely in better shape, being able to run the floor and working on my rebounding,” she said. “I think that piece of being in shape just allows me to do everything else on a different level.”

Through two exhibition games, Koval has recorded two double-doubles, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds versus Mississippi College last week and 12 points with 11 rebounds in a 121-41 win over Langston Thursday night.

“Rebounding is all about your positioning, especially offensive boards,” she said. “So, what I’ve been trying to do is watch film a lot and try to see how to position myself in situations to rebound.”

LSU hosts Houston Christian in the season opener on Tuesday (7 p.m., SEC Network+) at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.