BENDIGO Spirit has secured an exciting piece of its roster for its WNBL championship defence, signing Australian-born US college standout Olivia Pollerd for the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n
Pollerd returns to home soil after a stellar college career with Santa Clara Broncos in the NCAA Women’s Division I.<\/p>\n
She finished ranked in the top 10 all-time at Santa Clara for points, blocks, field goals, and three-pointers made, and was honoured as the university’s female athlete of the year for 2025.<\/p>\n
Pollerd, who played her freshman season at the University of Washington before transferring to Santa Clara, came into her own in her senior year, being named in the First Team All-West Coast Conference (WCC), earning WCC player of the week honours twice, and leading her team with an impressive 16 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.<\/p>\n
Her senior year performance capped off an impressive three-year stint at Santa Clara, where she averaged 13.8 points per game.<\/p>\n
The 192cm forward, who hails from the Mornington Peninsula, represented Australia with distinction at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 Women’s World Cup, where the team secured a silver medal.<\/p>\n
She also contributed to Australia’s gold medal win at the 2019 FIBA Under-17 Oceania Championship.<\/p>\n
Previously signed as a development player at just 15 years of age by the now-defunct Melbourne Boomers, Pollerd is poised to make her official debut with the WNBL’s reigning champions.<\/p>\n
“I’m really excited to join the Spirit,” Pollerd said.<\/p>\n
“I really enjoyed my time and the experiences I had in the US, but now I’m excited to return to my home state and apply everything I learnt there on the court in Australia’s top-tier competition.<\/p>\n
“Being the reigning champs, Bendigo are obviously an amazing team, so I’m excited to hit the ground running and learn as much as I can.”<\/p>\n
Spirit general manager Dan Jackson views Pollerd and the Spirit as a perfect fit for each other.<\/p>\n
“Our head coach Kennedy Kereama has been following Liv’s career closely whilst she’s been at college, so we are absolutely thrilled she has chosen to join the Spirit,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Her shooting and versatility will be a huge asset for the club, and she will fit in seamlessly to our group with her work ethic and personality.”<\/p>\n
Pollerd joins gun recruit Isobel Borlase and 2024-25 championship team member Casey Samuels as players announced so far on the Spirit’s 2025-26 roster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BENDIGO Spirit has secured an exciting piece of its roster for its WNBL championship defence, signing Australian-born US college standout Olivia Pollerd for the 2025-26 season. Pollerd returns to home soil after a stellar college career with Santa Clara Broncos in the NCAA Women’s Division I. She finished ranked in the top 10 all-time at […]<\/p>\n