Pollerd excited to play in "prestigious league"

She's one of the country's top rising talents.

Now Bendigo's Olivia Pollerd, fresh off a strong US college career, is excited to take her game to the next level during the WNBL26 season.

“My time in America was amazing, I loved my experience in Santa Clara but I'm really excited to play in the WNBL, it's such a prestigious league with so many good players," Pollerd said to basketball.com.au.

The Victoria product first attended Washington before transferring to Santa Clara for her sophomore year.

Pollerd then became one of the focal points for the Broncos offence and in her fourth and final college season (2024-25) averaged 16 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 blocks per game, highlighting her all-round game.

After wrapping up her four years abroad, Pollerd penned a contract with reigning champions Bendigo in June, giving her a chance to learn from some of the competition's top players, including Marianna Tolo and Kelsey Griffin.

“It’s such a great tool to learn from them every day, and that was such a big reason for me coming to Bendigo,” Pollerd said.

“I’m just trying to be a sponge and soak up as much as I can from them because they just have a wealth of knowledge in basketball."

Pollerd's Spirit, who lost their Round 1 game to Townsville, return to the hardwood on Tuesday night, hosting Geelong at Red Energy Arena in the final game of Round 2.

The Indigenous Round fixture tips off at 7pm AEDT, live on ESPN and 9Now, with tickets still available here.

‍Read the full story here >> From Bronco to Bendigo: Pollerd's dream start to WNBL career