PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State women’s basketball continues its 2026-27 campaign at Oregon, Friday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Plus with Matthew Willinger and Ronan Belding on the call.
Coming off the heels of a difficult 9-25 season, Head Coach Kamie Ethridge has infused four new incoming student-athletes into the team’s core of eight returners for 2026-27. The four new Cougs include freshmen Aicha Bah, Gianella Espedale, and Reese Jordan, along with incoming sophomore transfer Elizaveta Filchagina.
The team returns its main contributors from last year, including seniors Alex Covill, Eleonora Villa and Kenzie Chatfield, along with junior Charlotte Abraham, and sophomores Malvina Haziri, Tanja Valancic and Malia Ruud. Tahara Magassa also returns after redshirting last season and will make her Cougar debut on the court in 2026-27.
WSU has also put together another difficult non-conference slate, currently featuring four teams either in the AP Preseason Top 25 or receiving votes.
SERIES HISTORY
This was the 97th meeting all-time between Washington State and Oregon. Oregon leads the all-time series, 74-22, with WSU’s last win coming on Feb. 25, 2024 in Pullman (71-61). WSU has lost the last two meetings since then.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
- Eleonora Villa has 144 career made threes, six from 150.
- Villa has 92 career steals, eight from 100.
- Villa has 96 career starts, four from 100.
- Alex Covill has 281 career rebounds, 19 from 300.
- Covill sits at 1,355 career minutes, 145 from 1,500.
- Mackenzie Chatfield has 198 career assists, two from 200.
- Chatfield has 353 career points, 147 from 500.
- Malvina Haziri has 71 career points, 29 from 100.
- Malia Ruud has 302 career points, 198 from 500.
CLIMBING THE RECORD BOOKS
- Villa has 1,507 career points, moving up to eighth all-time in program history, 19 from moving up to seventh (1,526).
- Villa’s 144 career made threes ties for seventh all-time at WSU, 10 away from sixth (154).
- Villa has also made 595 career field goals, seventh all-time at WSU and 11 away from sixth (606).
- At 3,535 career minutes played, Villa is tied for sixth all-time at WSU, and 108 from fifth (3,643).
- Alex Covill has 153 career blocks, fifth all-time in program history and three blocks shy of fourth (156).
- Covill has a .524 field goal percentage, fourth-best in program history.
PAC-12 PRESEASON SELECTIONS
Seniors Alex Covill and Eleonora Villa were named to the Pac-12 Preseason Impact list ahead of the 2026-27 season, while the team was picked to finish sixth in the league’s preseason poll.
SPLASHING THREES
WSU women’s basketball has recorded a made three-point field goal in 196 straight games, dating back to 2/2/2020 when they went 0-of-15 from deep against Stanford.
INTERNATIONAL FLARE
The 12-person 2026-27 roster represents nine different countries, including the United States, and consists of nine international players. Nine different countries represented on the roster ties for second-most among all NCAA DI WBB programs.
NEXT UP
The Cougars have their home opener on deck, hosting Idaho Monday, November 9 at 11 p.m. in Bealey Coliseum.
Single-game tickets for the 2026 women’s basketball season are on sale now. Fans wishing to purchase tickets can click on the link HERE, visit wsucougars.com to order online, or call the WSU Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-COUGS.
For all the latest WSU women’s basketball news, photos and videos, like the team on Facebook (facebook.com/WSUCougarWBB), or follow on Twitter (@WSUCougarWBB) and Instagram (@wsucougarwbb).