The IX Sports Podcast

With 876 wins across Purdue, Texas Tech, and Alabama, legendary head coach Kristy Curry is officially starting her next chapter at the University of South Florida. Coach Curry joins the podcast to talk about leaving the SEC, stepping into the winning tradition established by Jose Fernandez, and managing a locker room of "alpha" personalities in the modern transfer portal era. Plus, she dives deep...

A new Walter Cup champion has been crowned! The Montréal Victoire defeated the Ottawa Charge in four games to win their first Walter Cup. Maya Smith is joined by Montréal Victoire beat writer Dylan Nazareth to break down the final series, why this Victoire team finally managed to get it done, and how Marie-Philip Poulin won playoff MVP. Then, the final PWHL team has been announced. Welcome, PWHL S...

Welcome back to the IX Sports podcast women’s basketball edition where we are discussing injury reports and their tranparency. What exactly happened with Caitlin Clark getting scratched late with a back injury? Howard and Jackie break it all down. Later on, Howard asks Jackie about a recent story she wrote at The IX Sports about new Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco’s journey to learn the WNBA and...

On this week's episode, Michael Waterloo and Melissa Triebwasser discuss some of the biggest storylines of the transfer portal season in women's college basketball before being joined by Iowa guard Chit Chat Wright to talk all things Hawkeyes! #wbb #basketball #iowawomensbasketball #iowawbb Photo Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

We had a feeling that WNBA officiating would be a point of emphasis. After discussing it briefly last week right before opening night, Howard Megdal and Jackie Powell are back to dive into some of these officiating changes a bit more. Later in the episode, Las Vegas Aces beat reporter Kelly Johnson joins the show to talk about how the Aces have started their season in addition to the team’s ring c...

The Walter Cup Finals are here, and for the first time in PWHL history, the champion will not be the Minnesota Frost. The PWHL also announced two more expansion teams: PWHL Las Vegas and PWHL Hamilton. These two teams will join PWHL Detroit in the 2026-27 season. Host Maya Smith breaks down the expansion additions in the #1 at the IX segment, while also talking about the PWHL draft, coming June 17...

Host Kathleen Gier welcomes Thom Persley of Shea Butter FC and the Shades of Blue Network to the show. The two talk about their experiences covering the Kansas City Current, impressions of the NWSL season so far, Manchester City's WSL title, predictions for the UWCL championship match and more in this wide-ranging conversation. Follow Thom on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thombomb816.bsky....

Molly Miller engineered one of the most impressive turnarounds in college basketball last season, leading Arizona State to a 15-0 start and a berth in the NCAA Tournament in her first season at the helm. She joins Michael Waterloo and Melissa Triebwasser to talk about "Benergy", why playing the Sun Devils is like going to the dentist, and how she's building on a strong year one.

Happy WNBA opening night! Howard Megdal and Jackie Powell are back for another episode of the IX Sports Podcast women’s basketball edition. Howard and Jackie begin reflecting upon the career of Tina Charles, who announced her retirement from professional basketball earlier this week. Later the pair dives into the 2026 general manager survey that the WNBA releases before every new season and then p...

There is finally some expansion information to talk about! Host Maya Smith kicks off the episode talking about information The Ice Garden has obtained about the expansion process, as well as the brand-new announcement of PWHL Detroit. Then, she is joined by Reid Lemker and Lydia Murray to talk about the playoff matchups between the Boston Fleet and Ottawa Charge, and the Minnesota Frost and the Mo...

Host Kathleen Gier shares reactions from the Boston Legacy after they recorded the franchise's first win, then runs through the rest of the NWSL standings. She also updates listeners on the UWCL Final, which is set between Barcelona and Lyon, then discusses recent stories from The IX Soccer. NWSL Week 6 recap: Utah Royals keep winning, Boston Legacy net franchise’s first - https://www.theixspo...

Howard Megdal and Jackie Powell are back for another episode of the IX Sports Podcast women’s basketball edition. Howard first provides his take on whether or not NCAA tournament expansion is necessary followed. Then Tony East joins Howard and Jackie to share what he’s learned inside Indiana Fever training camp and preseason. What did Tony make of the Fever’s game vs. the Dallas Wings on Thursday...

The Walter Cup playoffs are here! But first, on the last day of the regular season, the Vancouver Goldeneyes won the Gold Plan, and the Montréal Victoire clinched first overall in the regular season. Host Maya Smith and co-host Alyssa talk about the future for the Goldeneyes after getting the first-overall pick and who they might choose. Then, they break down the playoff matchups, starting with wh...

Host Kathleen Gier talks about Week 5 in the NWSL and gives an update on the standings. She also discusses Sophia Wilson and Trinity Rodman's first goals of the season and what that might mean for the USWNT going forward. Later in the show, she updates listeners on the UWCL Semi-finals and Jess Fishlock's injury. Links: Moments of joy, moments of heartbreak - https://www.theixsports.com/ne...

Jackie Powell and Howard Megdal are back for a jammed packed episode where they first clarify some mis- and disinformation that has been spreading around about the reasons why Natasha Cloud isn’t yet signed by a WNBA team as training camps have opened and preseason games are starting on Saturday. Later on, Howard and Jackie give some honorable mentions and then winners and losers coming out of the...

It's the last week of the PWHL regular season, and there is still a lot to be figured out before the puck drops to start the playoffs. Frequent co-host Alyssa Turner joins host Maya Smith, and they start by breaking down the newest Gold Plan teams, including the New York Sirens and Vancouver Goldeneyes. They discuss new info from the league about the Gold Plan seeding, plus whether or not it&#...

Thomas Costello, Big Ten and WNBA Cleveland beat reporter for The IX Sports, joined Kathleen Gier to discuss the NWSL's announcement of the league's 18th club in Columbus. Photo credit: Thomas Costello | The IX Sports His story for The IX Sports: https://www.theixsports.com/the-ix-soccer/nwsl-announced-columbus-as-leagues-18th-franchise/ Follow Thomas Costello: https://bsky.app/profile/tho...

The first elimination of the PWHL season is here! The Seattle Torrent were eliminated from playoff contention on Tuesday night, just in time for Seattle Torrent beat reporter, Silvia Leija Rosas, to join the podcast again. First, Maya and Silvia break down the elimination game for the Seattle Torrent and talk about how the team got to this point. Then they talk about a very important rematch on Sa...

Host Kathleen Gier recaps the U.S. women's soccer team's first two matches against Japan during the April FIFA window and discusses what we've learned about Emma Hayes' lineup. She also talks about incoming Hall of Famers Tobin Heath and Heather O'Reilly, as well as a few of her favorite stories from The IX Sports lately. Links: As the World Cup Gets Closer, Tierna Davidson Eas...

Howard Megdal and Jackie Powell report live from the 2026 WNBA draft where they take you all inside the rooms where it happened for the second annual WNBA Draft held at The Shed at Hudson Yards. Then Howard and Jackie discuss a long state of the league presser from WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert followed by a run down of steals, winners and questionable picks from the 2026 draft. Thumbnail phot...

The season is wrapping up, but the hunt for the final playoff spot is heating up. Host Maya Smith and guest Geremy kick off the show by talking about the record-breaking attendance for the New York Sirens game at Madison Square Garden over the weekend, and talk about recognizing the people who came before, like the Calgary Inferno of the CWHL. Then, they discuss the final playoff spot up for grabs...

Chelsea recaps the WNBA expansion draft, National Championship game, and looks ahead to WNBA free agency.

Howard Megdal and Kathleen Gier recap UCLA's victory against South Carolina in the NCAA Division I women's basketball championship. They run through all the biggest storylines, explaining how Lauren Betts and the Bruins delivered the program's first national title of the NCAA era. Howard's gamer: https://www.theixsports.com/newsletter/breaking-how-ucla-won-its-first-ncaa-womens-bas...

Howard Megdal, Tee Baker, Rob Knox and Kathleen Gier report live from Mortgage Matchup Center, where UCLA and South Carolina advanced to the national championship game. Hear from Tee about UConn's reaction to the end of the winning streak, from Rob about South Carolina staying focused in pursuit of another national title, and from Kathleen about the end of Rori Harmon's time at Texas. Howa...

The Boston Fleet have officially clinched a spot in the PWHL playoffs!  Maya Smith breaks down the clinching game and explains that the Montreal Victoire can clinch on Wednesday (they did after this recording).  Then, she talks about the PWHL trade deadline, including a deadline day trade between the New York Sirens and the Minnesota Frost. And, with the season finished over in Europe, she talks a...