2025–26 Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's basketball team

2025–26 Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's basketball
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 20
APNo. 20
Record8–2 (1–0 ACC)
Head coach
Associate head coachCarol Owens (26th season)
Assistant coaches
  • Michaela Mabrey (7th season)
  • Charel Allen (4th season)
  • Carlos Knox (1st season)
Home arenaPurcell Pavilion
2025–26 ACC women's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 16 Louisville 2 – 0   1.000 11 – 3   .786
NC State 2 – 0   1.000 8 – 4   .667
Syracuse 1 – 0   1.000 11 – 1   .917
Stanford 1 – 0   1.000 10 – 2   .833
No. 20 Notre Dame 1 – 0   1.000 8 – 2   .800
Virginia 1 – 0   1.000 8 – 3   .727
Duke 1 – 0   1.000 5 – 6   .455
Virginia Tech 1 – 1   .500 10 – 3   .769
Wake Forest 1 – 1   .500 10 – 3   .769
Clemson 1 – 1   .500 8 – 4   .667
Miami (FL) 1 – 1   .500 7 – 4   .636
No. 18 North Carolina 0 – 1   .000 10 – 3   .769
California 0 – 1   .000 8 – 4   .667
Pittsburgh 0 – 1   .000 7 – 6   .538
SMU 0 – 1   .000 6 – 6   .500
Boston College 0 – 1   .000 4 – 10   .286
Florida State 0 – 2   .000 4 – 9   .308
Georgia Tech 0 – 2   .000 4 – 9   .308
† 2026 ACC tournament winner
As of December 19, 2025
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2025–26 Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's basketball team represent the University of Notre Dame during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Fighting Irish are led by sixth-year head coach Niele Ivey and play their home games at Purcell Pavilion in Notre Dame, Indiana as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Previous season

Main article: 2024–25 Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's basketball team

The Fighting Irish finished the regular season 25–4 overall and 16–2 in ACC play to finish in a tie for first place. As the second seed in the ACC tournament, earned a bye into the Quarterfinals where they defated seventh seed California, 73–64. They were defeated in the Semifinals by third seed and eleventh ranked Duke. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and were the three-seed in the Birmingham 3 region. They defeated fourteen-seed Stephen F. Austin and six-seed Michigan at home to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. There they faced two seed and sixth ranked TCU in a re-match of their Cayman Islands Classic game. They lost again to TCU, this time 71–62 to end their season. The Fighting Irish finished the season with a 28–6 record, and ranked tenth AP poll and ninth Coaches polls.

Offseason

Departures

Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Emma Risch 2 G 6'1" Sophomore Melbourne, Florida Transferred to Florida State[1]
Olivia Miles 5 G 5'6" Graduate Student Phillipsburg, New Jersey Transferred to TCU[2]
Sonia Citron 11 G 6'1" Senior Eastchester, New York Graduated; drafted 3rd overall
in the 2025 WNBA draft[3]
Kate Koval 13 F 6'5" Freshman Kyiv, Ukraine Transferred to LSU[4]
Liatu King 20 F 6'0" Graduate Student Washington, D.C. Graduated
Maddy Westbeld 21 F 6'3" Senior Kettering, Ohio Graduated; drafted 16th overall
in the 2025 WNBA draft[5]
Kylee Watson 22 F 6'4" Senior Linwood, New Jersey Transferred to Villanova[6]
Sarah Cernugel 25 G 5'4" Senior Westmont, Illinois Graduated
Liza Karlen 32 F 6'2" Graduate Student Saint Paul, Minnesota Graduated

Incoming transfers

Incoming Transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Year Hometown Previous School
Kelly Ratigan 1 G 5'8" Junior South Bend, Indiana Loyola (MD)[7]
Vanessa de Jesus 2 G 5'8" Graduate Student Valencia, California Duke[8]
Malaya Cowles 5 F 6'3" Graduate Student Wilkesboro, North Carolina Wake Forest[9]
Jordyn Smith 11 G 5'6" Graduate Student Granger, Indiana Holy Cross College[10]
Iyana Moore 23 G 5'8" Graduate Student Milwaukee, Wisconsin Vanderbilt[11]
Gisela Sanchez 30 F 6'4" Graduate Student Barcelona, Spain Kansas State[12]

Recruiting class

Source:[13]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Leah Macy
F 		Elizabethtown, Kentucky Bethlehem 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) N/A Jun 1, 2024 
Recruit ratings: ESPN:    (96)
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2025–26 Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown
G 1 Kelly Ratigan 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Jr St. Joseph
Loyola (MD) 		South Bend, IN
G 2 Vanessa de Jesus 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) GS Sierra Canyon
Duke 		Valencia, CA
G 3 Hannah Hidalgo 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) Jr Paul VI Merchantville, NJ
F 5 Malaya Cowles 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) GS Winston-Salem Christian
Wake Forest 		Wilkesboro, NC
G 8 Cassandre Prosper 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Sr Cairine Wilson Montreal, QC
F 10 Bella Tehrani (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Sr St. Jean de Brebeuf Hamilton, ON
G 11 Jordyn Smith 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) GS Penn
Holy Cross College 		Granger, IN
G 14 KK Bransford 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) Sr Mount Notre Dame Cincinnati, OH
G 15 Luci Jensen (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) So Brookfield Academy Brookfield, WI
G 23 Iyana Moore 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) GS Blackman
Vanderbilt 		Milwaukee, WI
F 30 Gisela Sanchez 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) GS Segle XXI
Kansas State 		Barcelona, Spain
F 44 Leah Macy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Fr Bethlehem Elizabethtown, KY
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Source:[14]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 30, 2025*
7:00 p.m. 		No. 15 Purdue Northwest W 119–54  –
  39 – Hidalgo    –      –    Purcell Pavilion 
Notre Dame, IN
Regular season
November 5, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		No. 15 Fairleigh Dickinson W 98–52  1–0
  27 – Hidalgo   12 – Sanchez   5 – Prosper  Purcell Pavilion (6,156)
Notre Dame, IN
November 9, 2025*
3:00 p.m., ACCNX 		No. 15 Chicago State W 116–58  2–0
  32 – Hidalgo   13 – Bransford   8 – Hidalgo  Purcell Pavilion (8,143)
Notre Dame, IN
November 12, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		No. 18 Akron W 85–58  3–0
  44 – Hidalgo   9 – Hidalgo   4 – Tied  Purcell Pavilion (6,255)
Notre Dame, IN
November 15, 2025*
4:00 p.m., NBC 		No. 18 vs. No. 14 Michigan
Citi Shamrock Classic 		L 54–93  3–1
  17 – Prosper   8 – Prosper   4 – Hidalgo  Wayne State Fieldhouse (2,200)
Detroit, MI
November 21, 2025*
6:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 24 No. 11 USC W 61–59  4–1
  22 – Hidalgo   8 – Bransford   4 – de Jesus  Purcell Pavilion (8,342)
Notre Dame, IN
November 24, 2025*
9:00 p.m., ACCN 		No. 19 Central Michigan W 83–51  5–1
  25 – Hidalgo   7 – Cowles   7 – Hidalgo  Purcell Pavilion (6,387)
Notre Dame, IN
December 4, 2025*
9:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 18 at No. 13 Ole Miss
ACC–SEC Challenge 		L 62–69  5–2
  28 – Hidalgo   5 – Cowles   6 – de Jesus  SJB Pavilion (3,468)
Oxford, MS
December 7, 2025
2:00 p.m., ACCNX 		No. 18 at Florida State W 93–60  6–2
(1–0) 		 21 – Prosper   13 – Cowles   9 – Hidalgo  Donald L. Tucker Center (1,986)
Tallahassee, FL
December 11, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		No. 19 Morehead State W 97–48  7–2
  26 – Hidalgo   13 – Prosper   5 – de Jesus  Purcell Pavilion (6,405)
Notre Dame, IN
December 14, 2025*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 19 at James Madison W 78–65  8–2
  24 – Prosper   6 – Tied   6 – de Jesus  Atlantic Union Bank Center (4,211)
Harrisonburg, VA
December 21, 2025*
5:00 p.m., ACCNX 		No. 20 Bellarmine       Purcell Pavilion 
Notre Dame, IN
December 29, 2025
7:00 p.m., ACCN 		Pittsburgh       Purcell Pavilion 
Notre Dame, IN
January 1, 2026
4:00 p.m., ACCN 		at Georgia Tech       McCamish Pavilion 
Atlanta, GA
January 4, 2026
ESPN/ACCN 		at Duke       Cameron Indoor Stadium 
Durham, NC
January 8, 2026
6:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Boston College       Purcell Pavilion 
Notre Dame, IN
January 11, 2026
1:00 p.m., ESPN 		North Carolina       Purcell Pavilion 
Notre Dame, IN
January 15, 2026
7:00 p.m., ACCN 		Louisville       Purcell Pavilion 
Notre Dame, IN
January 19, 2026*
5:00 p.m., FOX 		at UConn
Rivalry 		      Harry A. Gampel Pavilion 
Storrs, CT
January 22, 2026
7:00 p.m., ACCN 		Miami (FL)       Purcell Pavilion 
Notre Dame, IN
January 25, 2026
3:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Clemson       Purcell Pavilion 
Notre Dame, IN
January 29, 2026
10:00 p.m., ACCNX 		at California       Haas Pavilion 
Berkeley, CA
February 1, 2026
4:00 p.m., The CW 		at Stanford       Maples Pavilion 
Stanford, CA
February 5, 2026
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Virginia Tech       Purcell Pavilion 
Notre Dame, IN
February 8, 2026
2:00 p.m., ACCNX 		at Virginia       John Paul Jones Arena 
Charlottesville, VA
February 15, 2026
ESPN 		NC State       Purcell Pavilion 
Notre Dame, IN
February 19, 2026
6:00 p.m., ACCNX 		at Wake Forest       LJVM Coliseum 
Winston-Salem, NC
February 22, 2026
6:00 p.m., ACCN 		at SMU       Moody Coliseum 
University Park, TX
February 26, 2026
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Syracuse       Purcell Pavilion 
Notre Dame, IN
March 1, 2026
4:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Louisville       KFC Yum! Center 
Louisville, KY
ACC Women's Tournament
*
 vs.        Gas South Arena 
Duluth, GA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Rankings

See also: 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP15182419181920
Coaches13172319191920

References

  1. ^ Neill, Jackson (April 15, 2025). "Former Notre Dame guard Emma Risch transferring to Florida State". WNDU-TV. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
  2. ^ Philippou, Alexa (April 8, 2025). "Former Notre Dame Former Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles commits to TCU". ESPN. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  3. ^ Hall, Meghan L. "Washington Mystics select Notre Dame's Sonia Citron with No. 3 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft". USA Today. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  4. ^ "LSU adds Kate Koval as Tigers lose third player to transfer portal". Reuters. April 7, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  5. ^ "Chicago Sky Select Maddy Westbeld With No. 16 Overall Pick in 2025 WNBA Draft". sky.wnba.com. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  6. ^ Mentock, Drew (April 15, 2025). "Former Notre Dame Women's Basketball Player Kylee Watson Signs with Villanova Out of Transfer Portal". 247 Sports. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  7. ^ Mentock, Drew (May 27, 2025). "Notre Dame Women's Basketball Adds South Bend Native Kelly Ratigan Via Transfer Portal". 247 Sports. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  8. ^ "De Jesus Joins Notre Dame For Graduate Season". Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website. April 22, 2025. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  9. ^ Stires, Sean (April 11, 2025). "Notre Dame Lands Transfer Portal Commitment From Wake Forest Forward Malaya Cowles". Athlon Sports. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  10. ^ @Raoul_000 (September 22, 2025). "Notre Dame WBB has added Jordyn Smith (Granger, IN) to the roster, a 5-6 point guard and grad transfer from Holy Cross College (NAIA); she started 112 games over four seasons at Holy Cross and is the program's all-time leader in assists (492) and steals (268)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. ^ Stires, Sean (May 19, 2025). "Former Vanderbilt Guard Iyana Moore Commits To Notre Dame Women's Basketball". sports.yahoo.com. Athlon Sports. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  12. ^ Healey, Tim (April 17, 2025). "Notre Dame women's basketball brings in forward from Kansas State". sports.yahoo.com. Fighting Irish Wire. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  13. ^ "2025 High School Girls' Basketball Recruits – Notre Dame – ESPN". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  14. ^ "2025–26 Women's Basketball schedule". und.com. University of Notre Dame. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
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