The WNBA Finals series between the Chicago Sky and Phoenix Mercury headlines the weekend in women’s sports, with Game 3 heading to Chicago on Friday. The NWSL is back in action as well, as teams fight for playoff positioning ahead of the regular season’s October 31st finale.

Here’s everything to watch this weekend in women’s sports:

WNBA Finals: Chicago Sky vs. Phoenix Mercury, Game 3

Friday, October 15 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN

The WNBA Finals series between the Sky and the Mercury heads to Chicago for a decisive Game 3. The Sky will play in front of a sold-out crowd at the Wintrust Arena, with around 10,000 fans in attendance.

WNBA Finals: Chicago Sky vs. Phoenix Mercury, Game 4

Sunday, October 17 at 3 p.m.  ET on ESPN

Should there be a Game 4, the WNBA Finals will stay in Chicago. The Mercury will look to contain Kahleah Copper, who has been hot all playoffs, leading the Sky’s offensive charge.

NWSL: Racing Louisville FC vs. Orlando Pride

Saturday, October 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET on Paramount+

The Orlando Pride will look for a crucial three points in the NWSL standings in a last-minute playoff push before the regular season’s end on October 31. Sydney Leroux has been explosive for Orlando all year, leading the team in scoring with eight goals on the season.

NWSL: Chicago Red Stars vs. Kansas City

Saturday, October 16 at 8 p.m. ET on Paramount+

On the playoff bubble, the Chicago Red Stars will look to climb the NWSL table to secure a spot in the postseason. The Red Stars head into their matchup with Kansas City as the favorites with a 6-2-2 home record.

NWSL: OL Reign vs. Washington Spirit

Saturday, October 16 at 10 p.m. ET on Paramount+

OL Reign has already clinched their playoff spot and appear to be in top form, with the likes of Rose Lavelle, Eugenie Le Sommer and Bethany Balcer all getting involved in the team’s attack. The Washington Spirit are still on the hunt for their postseason ticket, sitting firmly in the middle of a packed NWSL table.

NWSL: North Carolina Courage vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC

Sunday, October 17 at 2:00 p.m ET on CBS Sports Network

The North Carolina Courage has stayed at the top quadrant of the table throughout the season but has yet to lock up their playoff slot. The Gotham FC matchup will be one to watch as both teams fight for a postseason spot.

NWSL: Houston Dash vs. Portland Thorns FC

Sunday, October 17 at 7 p.m. ET on Paramount+

After a streaky start to the regular season, the Houston Dash are hitting their stride at the right time. A win in the team’s home matchup against the Portland Thorns could be enough to push the Dash over the edge.

Tennis: BNP Paribas Open

Friday, October 15 at 9 p.m.-1 a.m. ET on the Tennis Channel (Semifinals)

Sunday, October 17 at 4 p.m- 6 p.m. ET on the Tennis Channel (Final)

Paula Badosa, Angelique Kerber and Victoria Azarenka are among those through to the quarterfinals at Indian Wells. American Shelby Rogers will have a chance to fight for a semifinal spot after surviving a challenge from teen sensation Leylah Fernandez in the Round of 16.

Golf: Aramco Team Series

Thursday, October 14, 1:00-5:00 p.m. ET on the Golf Channel

Friday, October 15, 1:00-5:00 p.m. ET on the Golf Channel

Saturday, October 16, 2:30-6:30 p.m. ET on the Golf Channel

The world’s top female golfers tee off at the Aramco Team Series in a unique event featuring teams of four, made up of three pros and an amateur. Stars from the Solheim Cup, including Lexi Thompson, Nelly Korda, and Anna Nordqvist, will go head to head at Glen Oaks starting on Thursday.

 

Cameron Brink already has her rookie of the year pick for the upcoming WNBA season, and it’s Indiana-bound star Caitlin Clark. 

In the latest edition of Kelley on the Street, host Kelley O'Hara caught up with Brink in New York hours before the Stanford phenom went No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks at the 2024 WNBA Draft. When O’Hara asked who would win the WNBA's rookie of the year, she answered without pause.

"Caitlin Clark," she said, while a fan commented that she thought Brink would take home the award. Brink later added that the extra foul granted to WNBA players will be "good for me."

"I hope it’s me," Charisma Osborne, who was later drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, said when asked her ROY prediction. "But, I don’t know — we’ll see."

Watch more of Kelley on the Street:

Maria Sanchez issued a statement on Thursday, confirming recent reports that she has requested a trade from the Houston Dash. 

In it, she revealed that the club has been aware of the request "since late March."

"This has all taken a toll and isn’t an easy thing to talk about, but I want to confirm that I’ve requested an immediate trade," she wrote. "My expectations and reasons have been clear. I trust that my current club’s management will honor my decision in a timely manner and proceed with accepting a trade."

"I’m eager to refocus and dive back into what I love most: playing football," she concluded.

Thank you, everyone, for the outpouring of kindness and support. pic.twitter.com/gcnN7dhCJU

— Maria Sanchez (@Maria17_7) April 19, 2024

Reports of Sanchez's trade request first surfaced on ESPN last week, and were later confirmed by multiple sources. 

In December of last year, Sanchez signed a three-year contract with the Dash valued at $1.5 million including bonuses and an option year. It was the largest contract in NWSL history at the time — a figure that would be eclipsed by multiple contracts in the following months. 

Sanchez spent the offseason as a restricted free agent, meaning that Houston could match any other team's offer to retain her rights. Should the Dash trade Sanchez, her current contract terms would remain intact, limiting potential buyers to teams able to afford to take on an inking of that size.

The Dash has yet to address the trade, instead reiterating to ESPN that Sanchez is "under contract, a choice she made in free agency at the end of 2023." 

Both the NWSL trade window and transfer window close tonight, April 19th, at 12 a.m. ET. The window will stay closed through the next 11 regular season games, reopening on August 1st, 2024.

The four-time league champion Seattle Storm unveiled their new practice facility on Thursday, with Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel dubbing Interbay's Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance the team’s "new home."

"It's just such a special space," Brummel told Fox 13 Seattle. "I think when the players get here, it's gonna be overwhelming."

The sprawling 50,000-square-foot, $64 million property is just the second designated practice facility to be designed and built expressly for a WNBA team, with the Storm further noting that 85% of all design and engineering team members involved in the project's construction were women and people of color. The finished product holds two professional indoor courts, two 3x3 outdoor courts, a state-of-the-art locker room, and players' lounge, plus designated areas for strength and conditioning, kitchen, dining, and nutrition, and recovery. 

"This facility reflects our commitment to providing our athletes an exceptional environment that supports their growth, health, and performance," said Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder in an official team release. "It’s built for women, by women, embodying our dedication to leading the way in professional women’s sports."

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For their part, the team can't wait to make the faciilty their own.

"It's amazing," Storm guard Jewell Loyd told Fox 13. "Not having to drive everywhere around, knowing you have access anytime of the day to get into the gym, to workout." 

Head coach Noelle Quinn said she predicts the team is "never going to leave this building."

"Which is a good thing for me," she continued. "You talk about having an edge in performance. We want our athletes to not only perform on the court, but get whatever they need."

All of the Storm's staff and operations will now live under one roof, and the team also has plans to launch a youth basketball program operating out of the building.

The Caitlin Clark effect is quickly making its mark on the big leagues, as WNBA host teams around the country rush to upgrade their Fever games to larger arenas in order to accommodate surging ticket sales.

With Clark mere weeks away from her Indiana Fever debut, both the Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics have officially relocated their scheduled home games with head coach Christie Sides' squad. On Thursday, the Mystics became the latest to adjust their plans, moving their June 7th matchup from Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southwest DC to the more centrally located — and much larger — Capital One Arena "due to unprecedented demand."

The Mystics home court's capacity taps out at 4,200, while Capital One Arena — home to the Wizards, Capitals, and Georgetown Hoya's Men's Basketball — can fit nearly five times that crowd at some 20,000 spectators.

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"The move to Capital One Arena will allow for additional fans in the stands as well as premium hospitality options, including Suites and the all-new all-inclusive courtside Hennessy Lofts," the team announced via Thursday's press release.

The Aces were one of the first teams to switch venues, aiming to take on the Indiana Fever in front of as many as 20,000 fans inside T-Mobile Arena on July 2nd. That’s a sizable a boost from their home venue, which holds just 12,000.

For those still planning to face the Fever in their home arenas, ticket prices have skyrocketed. Previously scheduled construction has already forced the LA Sparks to relocate their first five games — including their May 24th clash with the Fever — to Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid. The temporary venue is quite the downsize, holding just 4,000 in comparison to Crypto.com Arena's near-19,000. As of Friday, the get-in price for that game started around $400.

Despite fans launching a Change.org petition urging relocation, the Chicago Sky say they're unable to move their June 23rd Fever meeting from Wintrust Arena's 10,000-seat facility to the 23,500-seat United Center due to a concert. Tickets for that game start around $325 as of Friday.