Louisville Professional Athletes

Emily Engstler gave Louisville fans a Friday night to remember — and then came back for more Saturday.

The Portland Fire forward lit up the PHX Mercury on Friday, Sept. 18, dropping a 21-point, 7-rebound, 5-assist line that checked every box for a complete performance. She added a steal and a block for good measure, doing everything but closing out a win — Portland fell 91-94 in a game that wasn't nearly as lopsided as the score suggests. Engstler's minus-4 plus-minus in a three-point loss tells the story of a player who kept her team in it until the final buzzer.

She returned to the floor Saturday against Golden State, and the production dipped (3 points, 1 assist) in a 66-82 loss, but she hauled down 9 rebounds and added a steal and a block — a defensive floor that keeps her in the lineup regardless of the offensive variance.

Dana Evans and the Aces Roll Seattle

While Engstler was putting on a show in Portland, Dana Evans was handling business in Las Vegas. The Aces guard posted 10 points, 3 assists, and a steal Friday in a dominant 114-77 dismantling of Seattle — a margin that left no doubt. Evans finished with a plus-15, a reflection of just how thoroughly Las Vegas controlled that contest.

Hines-Allen Delivers in Indy's Big Win

Myisha Hines-Allen had arguably the most efficient night of any Cardinal on Friday. The Indiana Fever forward scored 9 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in a convincing 103-85 win over Toronto, and her plus-22 led all Louisville alumni across the two-day stretch. That number isn't just a box score footnote — it's a signal of how much Indiana outperformed its opponent when Hines-Allen was on the floor.

Taylor's Friday Spark Can't Mask Saturday Slide

Sydney Taylor provided one of the more intriguing performances of the week on Friday, scoring 12 points with 4 assists for the Chicago Sky in a road game at Washington. The output showed real offensive punch — but it came in an 80-110 loss, and Taylor's minus-19 underscored Chicago's broader defensive struggles on the night.

Saturday was rougher. Taylor finished with 2 points, 3 assists, and 4 rebounds in an 81-106 blowout loss to Atlanta, posting a minus-17. Back-to-back difficult outcomes, but back-to-back appearances — Taylor is logging minutes and building her professional résumé in year-end action.

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Across two days and four players, Louisville alumni combined for a Friday stretch that would have made any Cardinals fan proud: a near-heroic Engstler outing in Portland, Evans contributing to a lopsided Aces win, Hines-Allen anchoring an Indiana victory, and Taylor flashing upside in Chicago. The Saturday results were more sobering, but Engstler's 9-board effort and Taylor's continued presence kept the Cardinal flag flying heading into the final weeks of the WNBA season.

No draft slot. No guaranteed roster spot. No problem.

Sydney Taylor, a Louisville alumna who went undrafted entering the 2026 WNBA season, has become the league's most compelling storyline heading into September — a rookie who didn't just make a roster but is rewriting what's possible for players who slip through the draft entirely.

Taylor, playing for the Chicago Sky, has broken rookie records and emerged as one of the team's leading contributors this season, according to Winsidr. She's the kind of player scouts missed and fans are now impossible to ignore — a walking argument that the draft is an imperfect science and that Louisville's pipeline to the professional game runs deeper than any ranking suggests.

The details of exactly which records Taylor has broken are still unfolding, but the arc is clear: an undrafted player outperforming expectations so dramatically that her story has transcended the typical "she made the team" narrative and entered the territory of genuine league-wide conversation. Every WNBA season produces a breakout name. In 2026, that name belongs to a Cardinal.

Engstler Battles in a Rough Outing

While Taylor commands the spotlight, fellow Louisville alumna Emily Engstler had a difficult night to close out August. The Indiana Fire forward posted 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals against the Golden State Valkyries on Sunday — a stat line that reads serviceable on paper but came in a 69-86 loss, with Engstler finishing at a minus-12 on the plus/minus. The Fire couldn't generate the defensive resistance needed to stay competitive, and Engstler's efficiency numbers reflected a game that got away from her team early.

Engstler, who has been a fixture in the Fire's frontcourt rotation, will look to bounce back as the regular season heads toward its final stretch. The minus-12 isn't a referendum on her season — but it's a reminder of how quickly games can spiral when team defense breaks down.

The Bigger Louisville Picture

The Cards have seven alumni active in the WNBA this season — Taylor and Engstler joined by Dana Evans (Aces), Myisha Hines-Allen (Fever), Liz Dixon (Mercury), Hailey Van Lith (Sun), and Laura Ziegler (Sparks) — making Louisville one of the more represented programs in the league. That depth is a credit to the program's ability to develop professional-caliber talent across multiple positions and eras.

But this week belongs to Taylor. Undrafted rookies breaking records don't come along every season, and when they do, they tend to reshape how the league thinks about player evaluation. Taylor isn't just making Louisville proud — she's making scouts everywhere reconsider what they missed.

Engstler's Career Night Steals the Headlines

Emily Engstler is making a case for the WNBA's most complete forward right now. The Louisville alum delivered the performance of her career Friday night, pouring in 25 points on 11-of-14 shooting — an efficiency that bordered on absurd — while adding 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 blocks in Portland's 101-83 demolition of playoff-bound Atlanta. Her plus-minus of +27 told the full story: when Engstler was on the floor, the Fire were a different team.

It wasn't a fluke, either. Engstler bookended the week with a 23-point, 6-rebound outing against Washington on Sunday, Aug. 23, and even in Portland's midweek loss to Dallas, she quietly stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. Over three games this week, she averaged 20 points, 9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.3 blocks. That's not a hot streak — that's a player arriving.

Fellow Cardinal Carla Leite provided the co-headline Friday, leading the Fire with 26 points on 9-of-13 shooting. The two Louisville alums combined for 51 points as Portland shot 58% from the field and snapped Atlanta's four-game winning streak. A Cardinal double act dismantling a playoff contender on the road is exactly the kind of night Louisville fans should be circling on the calendar.

Elsewhere in the Cardinal WNBA World

The week wasn't quite as electric for other Louisville alums, though there were still moments worth noting.

Sydney Taylor had her best game of the week Saturday, dropping 13 points for Chicago in a 66-85 loss to New York — a bright spot in a tough result for the Sky. Her earlier appearances (4 points Aug. 25, 4 points Aug. 23) were quieter, but the Saturday showing signals she can still get buckets against top competition.

Dana Evans contributed modestly out of Las Vegas, posting 4 points and 3 assists in the Aces' 93-73 win over the Tempo on Saturday. She'd been held without a stat line in the Aug. 23 matchup against the same team. The Aces are rolling regardless, but Evans will need to carve out more consistent minutes to factor into the stretch run.

Myisha Hines-Allen saw limited action in Indianapolis this week. She played a minor role in the Fever's Friday loss to Connecticut and logged a quiet 5-point, 7-rebound line in Indiana's blowout win over Chicago on Aug. 23. Stephanie White's decisions around Hines-Allen's role have drawn attention — the veteran's path to consistent minutes remains something to watch as the Fever push toward the playoffs.

The Takeaway

This was Engstler's week, full stop. The 25-point, 4-steal, 4-block performance against Atlanta is the kind of box score that gets shared in group chats, and when paired with Leite's own dominant outing, it made for one of the more memorable Louisville-flavored nights the WNBA has seen in recent memory. With the Fire finding their footing and Engstler looking like a genuine two-way force, Cardinals fans have a team worth tracking the rest of the way.