The Indiana Fever’s last game against the Golden State Valkyries on Saturday turned out to be a gritty, highly physical battle that came with quite a bit of drama. The Fever ultimately secured the 90-82 victory, of course. But now, they are set to face the Valkyries once again on Friday, this time on Golden State’s home court. And already, Fever star Sophie Cunningham appears to have a clear expectation of exactly what the Valkyries will be bringing into this matchup.

Speaking on the May 25 episode of her Show Me Something podcast, which she co-hosts with Adam West, Cunningham was asked what the biggest thing she was heading into this game with, considering the fact that she had just played them previously. Giving her response, she said, “They’re just a really good fundamental squad. Like they play fast.”

As it appears, Sophie Cunningham is quite correct in her assessment of this Valkyries team. The Valkyries have, in their previous games, consistently sped up the tempo to force opponents out of their comfort zones. In fact, during the first half of their recent game against the Fever, their breakneck pace and physical defensive pressure completely rattled Indiana. And it forced them to 10 early turnovers. That matchup itself was an extremely aggressive and physical contest that finished with 50 total personal fouls, two technical fouls, and a flagrant foul. Cunningham herself picked up four personal fouls in the game. But beyond that, she also contributed 11 points for the Fever.

As Sophie Cunningham mentioned, she and the entire Fever squad will now travel down to the Chase Center in San Francisco to face the Valkyries on their home floor. Cunningham already expects another fast-paced battle. And of course, with the Valkyries currently ranked third in the WNBA in overall pace, they will definitely be bringing that speed into the game once again. They will also be bringing the same extreme defensive physicality they displayed in the previous matchup.

The Indiana Fever will certainly be hoping to edge past the Valkyries once again. But just like last time, they will not expect that victory to come easily. Regardless, they still enter the matchup as the favorites. And ideally for them, they should come away victorious once again and secure their fourth straight win.

Stephanie White Emphasizes Fever’s Focus on Improvement Ahead of Valkyries Rematch

Speaking during an Indiana Fever practice session ahead of their rematch against the Golden State Valkyries on Friday, head coach Stephanie White offered a clear-eyed look at where the team’s preparation focus currently sits. Rather than simply riding the momentum of their previous victory, White was deliberate in her approach, taking stock of both what worked and what didn’t in equal measure.

“Today is more about looking at some of the things that we needed to be better in. And some of the things that we found success in,” she said. “Today was mostly just about working on the things that we need to continue to work on to get better. Continuing to hone those skills and work on that.” For White, identifying those two categories is the foundation for the next step forward. And they were working on that in practice already.

The work, however, doesn’t stop there. The remaining practice sessions leading into Friday’s rematch will be to layer in the more tactical, opponent-specific preparation that a second meeting always demands. “We’ve got the rest of the week to go to work on our tweaks and what we think that they’ll do and what we want to do,” White said.

Securing a fourth consecutive win would be a meaningful statement for a Fever team that is beginning to find its rhythm. And for the Valkyries too, they will arrive having already faced Indiana once this season. So the familiarity cuts both ways. Hopefully, the preparation White has outlined translates onto the floor the way she intends, and the Indiana Fever get a win out of this game.