Former Iowa teammates Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin are in for a Midwestern reunion as the Aces travel to Indiana to face the Fever on Wednesday.
The game will mark the third time the pair have competed during their rookie seasons, with a fourth matchup scheduled for Friday. The Hawkeye legends have remained close throughout their first WNBA campaigns and text "every single day" to support each other's journeys.
One of Martin's best performances of the year came in the teams' first matchup in May, when she scored 12 points and notched seven rebounds in 22 minutes of play. Though Martin's playing time has decreased drastically in the second half of the season for the defending champions, she has continued to be a fan favorite along with Clark, who is the Fever's leading scorer with 19.2 points per game.
Here's everything to know about what Clark said about Martin before their third face-off of the season and how the former Iowa teammates are preparing for their head-to-head matchup.
MORE: WNBA playoff standings 2024: Who's in and who's out?
What did Caitlin Clark say about Kate Martin?
Clark spoke Tuesday about how excited she is to reunite with Martin for two games this week — the Fever host the Aces twice in a row, at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday and then at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday.
The 22-year-old guard also mentioned how strange it feels playing against each other after having been teammates for four years at Iowa.
"It's definitely fun for us, it's fun for a lot of fans in the Midwest that cheered us on when we were in college," Clark said to reporters. “It’s cool getting to see one of your best friends live out her dream and then play against each other.
"But at the same time it’s definitely pretty weird for the two of us. Like, we were teammates for four years, we got very used to that. And now going against each other... You love it, you joke about it. But at the same time, it takes some getting used to."
CC on how much she looks forward to hosting Kate Martin this week: “it’s cool getting to see one of your best friends live out her dream & then play against each other, but at the same time it’s definitely pretty weird for the two us… I know a lot of our coaches will be here.” pic.twitter.com/kiBianLkLM
— Matthew Byrne (@MatthewByrne1) September 10, 2024
Still, Clark didn't let the "weird" feeling overshadow the moment.
"I'm just super proud of her, and she's one of the hardest workers, a great teammate, a great leader, one of the best teammates I've ever had," Clark continued. "So it's fun getting to watch her have some success."
MORE: Fever WNBA playoff picture: Clark leads Indiana to postseason
Kate Martin endorsement deal with American Eagle
While Clark and Martin support each other in their on-court endeavors, they also celebrate each other's off-court ventures. On Tuesday, Martin revealed her new brand deal with American Eagle on social media, and Clark hyped her up, quickly commenting "Slay" on her former teammate's Instagram post.
