Freshman Kate Koval has quickly become a force for the Irish

Right on track

The Notre Dame women’s basketball team is on fire at the moment. The Irish are undefeated and ranked #3 in the country after a trip out to California saw them take down JuJu Watkins and the (then #3) USC Trojans, 74-61.

One of the things that has really separated the Irish as one of the best teams in the country this year has been how effective they have been in the paint on both sides of the court. The Irish have long been blessed with incredible guard play virtually every season, but it’s what they are doing with the front court that really makes Notre Dame a legitimate contender for a national championship.

The Irish brought in transfer forward Liatu King from Pitt, and King has been every bit as good as advertised so far this season. But King has had plenty of help from her partner in crime, freshman Kate Koval.

Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images

Koval was the #1 ranked post player in the country coming out of high school, and she was someone we tabbed as an instant impact player for this season, and she has met — or even exceeded — those expectations early in the season.

Quite frankly… she’s an absolute force on the court.

The Irish are blessed with scorers unlike any team in the country. Still, they needed a lot of help on the boards and defensively in the paint, and with Kate Koval they are getting all of it.

Notre Dame ranks #3 in the nation in rebounds per game, and Koval is leading the way with 11.8 boards per game. She must really like that number, because Kate is also averaging 11.8 points per game as well. Averaging a double-double every game is a pretty good indicator that Notre Dame has something special in Koval — but that’s not the best part.

Koval leads the nation in blocks per game with 24 blocks in 5 games, and has helped the Irish rank #2 in the country in blocks per game. She has shutdown the opposing team’s ability to post up and score on the Irish under the bucket.

Koval is more than an “instant impact player” for the Irish. That term is too general and small for what she brought to Niele Ivey’s team this season. Kate Koval is an absolute force, and perhaps the perfect piece to a Notre Dame national championship puzzle.

We are just 5 games into the season, but with Koval and King inside to go along with Olivia Miles, Hannah Hidalgo, Sonia Citron, and Cassandre Prosper as the guards — this Irish team is playing like a squad that can not only defend its ACC title — but also for a real chance to win its first national title in 6 years.