Baylor announced Saturday that Kate Koval will join the program after the NCAA approved a transfer waiver for the Ukrainian center. Koval left LSU after the April deadline for entering the NCAA transfer portal and had been projected to start at center for the Tigers this season.
Koval said she made the move after LSU signed 17-year-old Russian post player Anna Minaeva. Koval was born and raised in Ukraine, and said her father is a drone operator in the Ukrainian military. She also said Russian attacks have killed or injured people close to her.
LSU coach Kim Mulkey, a former Baylor coach, had told Koval the two players could represent their countries, according to the report, but Koval said she was not comfortable with that arrangement.
The 6-foot-5 Koval spent her freshman season at Notre Dame and was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team. During the 2025-26 season at LSU, she appeared in 35 games and started 17. She averaged 8.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks, while making 56% of her field-goal attempts.
Baylor coach Nicki Collen said Koval can help as a scorer, passer and shot blocker. Baylor finished 25-9 last season and returns one starter, senior guard Taliah Scott, who averaged 19.7 points. Koval also played for Ukraine at the 2026 FIBA 3x3 Women’s World Cup, where the team advanced to the quarterfinals. CBS Sports reported the transfer.
