Notre Dame starts the season ranked No. 6 in the nation, the group’s highest preseason rankings under Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey and highest preseason ranking since 2018-19 when the Irish entered the year as the preseason No. 1 after winning the 2018 national title, the Associated Press announced on Tuesday.
Last year’s team finished the season ranked eleventh nationally with a 28-7 (13-5) record after winning the ACC Tournament but falling in the Sweet 16. Notre Dame went 7-5 against Top 25 teams last year.
As for this season, Notre Dame returns AP All-American and ACC Defensive Player and Rookie of the Year Hannah Hidalgo. The sophomore averaged 22.6 points and 4.6 steals per game last year, both of which are Notre Dame records. She led the nation in steals.
Hidalgo will be joined in the backcourt by Olivia Miles, another AP All-American who sat out last season while rehabbing a torn ACL. Miles was the 2022-23 ACC Player of the Year Runner-Up and led the ACC with 6.9 assists per game that season. One of the nation’s top rebounding guards, Miles notched 7.3 boards in 2022-23 in addition to 14.3 points per game.
Wing and predicted top-10 2025 WNBA Draft selection Sonia Citron is also back in South Bend for another year after posting a career-best 17.3 points per game last year. She broke the Notre Dame single-season free throw percentage record last year, hitting 91.2 percent of her shots from the charity stripe.
A trio of veteran forwards — Liza Karlen, Liatu King and Maddy Westbeld — will provide scoring, rebounding and leadership to a team poised to make a deep run into March. The group also added freshman Kate Koval to the lineup, a 6-5 forward who was the No. 5 recruit in the 2024 ESPN HoopGurlz Rankings.
Notre Dame starts the season with an Oct. 30 exhibition against Davenport and a home opener on Nov. 4 against Mercyhurst. The Irish will face eight teams this season who are ranked in the preseason AP Poll: UConn (No. 2), USC (No. 3), Texas (No. 4), NC State (No. 9), Duke (No. 11), North Carolina (No. 15), Louisville (No. 17), Florida State (No. 19).