Last year, Kiah Stokes played against the Valkyries. This year, she is one.

Kiah Stokes began her WNBA year with the Las Vegas Aces, then watched the Valkyries deliver a major upset in a loud, intense game at Ballhalla. Although the Aces won the other matchups, that loss left a lasting impression. A year later, Stokes is the Valkyries’ new starting center after signing on April 13 and joining training camp shortly afterward. She has practiced nonstop and traveled for games across multiple cities. Ahead of her first home game, she described Ballhalla fan support as positive and consistently sold out, and she emphasized there is no bad blood with her former teammates.

"Exactly one year ago, Kiah Stokes jogged onto the court at Chase Center in a Las Vegas Aces jersey. The Aces were the defending champions of the WNBA and they were playing against the league's first expansion team in years. Odds were on the Aces. "I remembered the crowd being so loud," Stokes said about playing at Ballhalla for the first time. "It was really intense.""

"The Valkyries stole the game 95-68 in one of their first major upsets - which turned into a season of upsets. Although the Aces went on to beat the Valkyries in their other three matchups of the season, that game left an impression on Stokes. "It was an incredible atmosphere. I hated being on the other end of it," Stokes said."

"A year later, Stokes is no longer on the other end of it. She is the Valkyries new starting center, coming off a big win against the Indiana Fever and preparing to play against her former team at Chase Center on May 31. "I still feel like I haven't caught my breath yet," said Stokes, at a recent Valkyries practice. She was signed by the Valkyries on April 13, only days before she had to show up to training camp. Since then she's been practicing nonstop and traveling for games (so far to Seattle, New York and Indianapolis)."

""I'm excited," Stokes told me as we huddled in the stands at Chase Center. Playing home games at Ballhalla, she said, is one of the reasons she came here. "The fan support was just so great and it was just so positive. It's like every game they're selling out 18,000 people. I mean that's incredible." Her former teammates had been understanding of her decision, she added. "It's no bad blood between me and them. There are still a lot of really good people there. It's still people I consider my family.""

Read at Mission Local