Yale Athletics

After a challenging 2024-25 season with a record of 4–23, the women’s basketball team has been preparing to come back stronger. 

The Elis struggled to compete with most schools in their division during their last campaign but say they are determined to turn things around. They have emphasized strengthening their mental toughness as well as their bodies in preparation for the upcoming season.

“Our team has focused on mental performance, strength and conditioning, as well as skill work to gain confidence in other areas of our games to bounce back from last season,” senior captain Kiley Capstraw ’26 wrote in a text message.

For Capstraw, building team chemistry is a priority, considering that the roster features five first-year players and two transfers. With 14 players on their roster — half of the members new to the program — the Bulldogs have had only a few months to build cohesion.

In order to build trust on the court, the Bulldogs say they have benefited from time together off the court. 

“We spend a lot of time with one another and really have gotten to know each other off the court,” Capstraw wrote. “Our trip to Spain and France this summer was extremely instrumental in growing our chemistry and has carried over very well.” 

Returning sophomore Magdalena Schmidt ’28 echoed that sentiment, emphasizing that the team became closer through the summer and preseason.

“We all genuinely love spending time together, which I think translates onto the court and will help us a lot this year,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt also praised the first-year class for their work ethic and skill during the preseason. 

“They’re really skilled players who are ready to make an impact this season,” she said.

The Bulldogs’ first-year class includes three guards, Olivia Kim ’29, Hannah Wasserman ’29 and Radhika Garapaty ’29, and two forwards, Dorka Kastl ’29 and Sophia Gibson ’29, who are 6’2 and 6’4, respectively. 

The Bulldogs further strengthened their frontcourt through the transfer portal, adding 6’5 Mary Meng ’27 from Michigan State and 6’1 Luisa Vydrova ’27, who started at the University of Texas at El Paso last season.

“We’ve been able to add a veteran group of post players, Luisa and Mary, who are both extremely talented, smart, and lead some of the younger girls,” Capstraw wrote.

Both Vydrova and returning sophomore Schmidt spent the summer competing internationally for their respective national teams — Vydrova with Czechia and Schmidt with Austria — gaining additional experience through European play before returning to New Haven.

Schmidt said that her time playing 3-on-3 basketball for the Austrian national team helped her develop under faster-paced, high-level competition. 

“It gave me a lot of valuable game experience and helped me improve my ability to make the right reads in a very fast-paced game of basketball,” she said. 

Schmidt said she hopes to bring that same deliberate court vision to Yale’s offense this season by working not only to get herself open as a shooter, but also to create opportunities for her teammates through intentional cuts and screens.

The Elis will face off against Northeastern in their season opener at home Friday evening.