NFL
By: Ashmere Prasad
May 8 – The Valkyries’ first game of the season was an exciting one and featured the season’s first chipped tooth. Jade Melbourne dove for the loose ball and came back up with her missing tooth in her hand. What a way to start the season!
Jade Melbourne chipped her tooth 😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/BoCpiLwxtW
— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) May 9, 2026
With a new roster comes constant rotation changes. Gabby Williams and Kiah Stokes were named starters, and Janelle Salaün came off the bench, which Natalie Nakase said everyone is okay with doing on this team, and it’s their superpower.
Salaün reminded everyone how lethal her offense is with a team-high 20 PTS. (7-16 FG, 5-11 3PT)
Kaitlyn Chen scored a career-high 14 points (which I believe she will exceed again this season) and showcased her offseason work.
“She’s been working, she’s been putting in the extra time,” Nakase said. “She came to the Bay for a couple of weeks after she played with Ja, which helped a lot that they played together. Her ability to score on all three levels, that’s basically what she did.”
The defense ramped up in the second half, which led the Valkyries to control the game and generate a 20-point lead at one point.
Golden State faces the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday evening for their home opener. The Mercury swept Golden State 4-0 last season, but that was a different team, including Satou Sabally and Lexi Held. Even though GSV fell short in those games, the matchups were competitive and intense. With this updated Valkyries roster including Williams, it will be exciting to see how the updated teams face off.
