Middle Tennessee didn't just send players to the WNBA — it sent them deep into the 2026 playoffs. Alysha Clark (Wings) and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (Aces) are both competing in the postseason this week, representing the Blue Raiders on two separate playoff stages.
Clark's Game 2 Gem Keeps Dallas Alive
The bigger individual headline belongs to Clark. In Wings-Valkyries Game 2 on Thursday, Oct. 1, the veteran forward went off for 21 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists to the tune of a +15 plus/minus — one of the standout individual performances of the playoff round. Dallas won 108-100, evening the series and forcing a decisive Game 3 in Golden State.
Yahoo Sports highlighted Clark alongside Arike Ogunbowale as the engines behind Dallas's Game 2 blueprint, asking whether the Wings could bottle that combination for a road elimination game. The answer, unfortunately, came back mixed. In Game 3 on Saturday, Oct. 3, Clark was held to just 3 points and 7 rebounds in a 73-77 Wings loss — and finished with a -7 plus/minus. Dallas's season likely hangs in the balance as a result.
Still, Clark's Game 2 showed exactly what the 13-year veteran can do when locked in — and it's worth noting she was listed on the injury report heading into Game 1, making her Game 2 outburst all the more impressive.
Parker-Tyus and the Aces Find Their Footing
Meanwhile in Las Vegas, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus and the Aces are grinding through a first-round series of their own against the Indiana Fever. After a split opening weekend — Vegas won Game 1 (102-85) and dropped Game 2 (89-99) — the Aces bounced back decisively in Game 3 on Friday, Oct. 2, winning 94-83 to take a 2-1 series lead.
Parker-Tyus has been a steady contributor throughout. She posted 7 points, a steal, and a block in Game 1; added 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 blocks in Game 2; and chipped in 6 points, 6 rebounds, and a +8 plus/minus in the Game 3 win. She hasn't dominated the stat sheet, but her two-way presence in the frontcourt has been consistent across all three games.
With Las Vegas up 2-1, Parker-Tyus is one win away from advancing — a stark contrast to Clark's more precarious situation in Dallas.
Blue Raider Playoff Math
Two Middle Tennessee alumnae, two playoff series, two different scenarios heading into the week's final games. Clark gave Dallas fans one of the most memorable individual nights of the postseason before a cold Game 3 swung the door back toward Golden State. Parker-Tyus, quieter by the numbers, is on the winning side of her series with the Aces in control.
For a program from Murfreesboro, it's a meaningful October in the WNBA.
AI-generated summary
