Indiana Fever v Seattle Storm

Following a delayed start due to visa troubles, Nika Muhl’s WNBA career has gone off and running. In her most recent matchup, she caught up with a familiar face from her UConn days: Lou Lopez Senechal.

On Thursday night, the Seattle Storm traveled to Texas to take on the Dallas Wings. They secured a road victory, winning by a final score of 92-84. After the game, Muhl reunited with her former teammate who left UConn for the WNBA in 2023. The two had a lengthy conversation following the final buzzer before taking a series of pictures together.

 

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Senechal didn’t play much in this game, only logging four and a half minutes of action. In that time, she tallied three points and one assist on 1-for-2 shooting. As for Muhl, she did not see the floor at all.

Muhl and Senechal were only teammates at UConn for one season in 2023. The latter spent four years at Fairfield before transferring to UConn.

Nika Muhl speaks on having veteran leaders to start her WNBA career

In the case for most rookies, when they get drafted, they go to a team littered with other young talent. However, that wasn’t the case for Nika Muhl. With the Seattle Storm, she has a chance to play alongside and learn from a pair of high-level individuals.

The most notable player on the team is guard Jewell Loyd, who was selected as part of the 2024 USA Women’s Basketball olympic roster. Loyd has been with the franchise since 2015 and helped them win a championship twice. Seattle also added another All-Star to the mix in the form of Skylar Diggins-Smith who joined after a short stint with the Phoenix Mercury.

Before Seattle’s matchup with the Dallas Wings, Muhl shared in an interview her experience playing alongside Loyd and Diggins-Smith—two players that she looked up to growing up.

“Those are the players I looked up to when I was young,” Muhl said. “And to be able to share the court with them everyday, I still am shocked every time I enter the gym and I see them on the court. They’ve been so helpful.”

So far this season, Muhl has appeared in six games for a total of 14 minutes. Her playing time might be low, but it gives her a chance to really soak in the learnings from her successful teammates. It’s a rare opportunity for a rookie, and one that she should make the most out of.