Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina women's basketball and head coach Jonathan Tsipis began the swing to the 2026-27 season this week with the addition of UNC Wilmington transfer Kate Hollifield as the squad's roster reload starts for the upcoming season. Kate, a 5-10 graduate transfer from Shelby, N.C., joins her younger sister, Ally Hollifield, on the Catamount roster.
 
Hollifield comes to Cullowhee having played two seasons at Belmont, appearing in 59 games for the Bruins from 2022-24. She spent the last two seasons at UNC Wilmington, playing in 40 games with 39 starts for the Seahawks.
 
In two seasons at Wilmington, Hollifield averaged 6.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. She scored a career-high 17 points against Winthrop and Towson as a junior, and pulled down a career-high seven rebounds in a conference matchup against Campbell that same season.

Hollifield led the Seahawks with 43 made 3-pointers in 2024-25, shooting 42 percent from the floor that included 35 percent from range. She paced the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) in 3-point percentage in conference games, averaging nearly 44 percent over 18 league contests. Over her 40 games in the teal and navy, Hollifield connected on 52 3-pointers and shot 76 percent from the free-throw line. She dished out 68 assists and swiped 40 steals.
 
A productive contributor throughout her career, Hollifield scored in double figures 14 times, with 13 of those coming in action for Wilmington over her two seasons.
 
Signed as a three-star recruit by ESPN out of high school, Hollifield spent two seasons at Belmont, playing 59 games for the Bruins, including 32 as a rookie. She made her collegiate debut against SoCon foe Chattanooga in 2022 and posted double digits against Bradley, with 14 points, primarily on four 3-pointers.
 
A standout at Shelby High, Hollifield earned All-State honors and was dubbed the 2021-22 Southern Piedmont Conference (SPC) Player of the Year. Additional accolades included being selected to both the North Carolina Coaches Association 2022 Carolinas Classic All-Star Game and the East-West All-Star Game rosters, collecting MVP honors in the latter after scoring 18 points in the showcase.
 
Hollifield eclipsed the 1,500-career point plateau as a prep, averaging 23.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game as a senior, all while shooting 58 percent from the floor. She appeared on the Charlotte Observer Preps Miss Basketball watch list in her final season on the prep hardwood.
 
As a junior, Hollifield averaged 22 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and nearly 3.0 steals per game, helping guide Shelby High to the 2020-21 North Carolina Class 2A state title. That season, she posted a school-record 41 points in a game.
 
In addition to her sister, Ally, who led the 2025-26 Catamounts with 11.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, Kate comes from an athletic family. The daughter of Tina and Ryan Hollifield, Kate is the eldest of three siblings. Her father played basketball and football at Appalachian State, joined in Boone by her uncle, Andy, while another uncle played at Wake Forest. Her cousin, Dax, was a star linebacker at Virginia Tech and is now a jackman in the NASCAR Cup Series, with another of her cousins playing collegiately at Tulane.
 
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