LSU women's basketball loses Kate Koval, a Ukrainian, days after Tigers sign Russian center
Kate Koval is from Kyiv, and her father is part of the Ukrainian military and has fought in the war against Russia.
LSU women's basketball head coach Kim Mulkey has lost a key member of her frontcourt, center Kate Koval, who opted to leave the program due to personal reasons. Koval, from Kyiv in Ukraine, transferred to LSU last season after starting her career at Notre Dame. She played 17 games, averaging 8.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest, and helped the Tigers reach the Sweet 16.
Koval's decision to leave came just days after LSU signed Russian center Anna Minaeva. The two would have been the first Russian-Ukrainian teammates to share a locker room in women's college basketball since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Koval's father, Oleksander, is a part of the Ukrainian military and has fought in the conflict.
During a conversation with Koval, Mulkey expressed her respect for the family's personal situation and highlighted that she had to recruit Minaeva despite the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The Tigers are set to open their 2026-27 season against Southeast Louisiana on November 2.
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