HC Niele Ivey captures Olivia Miles’ “post Christmas warmup” as Notre Dame star struggles to catch a cat

With the Notre Dame Fighting Irish set to return to the court soon, coach Niele Ivey shared a glimpse into the 'preparations' of guard Olivia Miles. She posted a video of Miles chasing a cat in the stands, with the caption:

"Post Christmas warmup."

Olivia Miles is playing a crucial role for Niele Ivey's Notre Dame this season. The redshirt junior has returned to action after a year on the sidelines with a torn ACL. This year, Miles is averaging 17.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals while leading the Fighting Irish in assists with 6.7 per game.

Before the season began, Ivey shared her excitement about Miles' return:

"It's been so fun to watch her [in practice sessions]. She looks so good. She's strong. She's confident. She has that fire of the return, just being excited and appreciative to be back on that floor again.

"And just to see her on the court. My heart's always beaming with joy just to see her out there having fun and competing. Because I know that was so hard for her to sit on the sidelines."

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Niele Ivey comments on the Olivia Miles-Hannah Hidalgo connection

After a Sweet 16 run last season, Niele Ivey and the Fighting Irish are hoping for a better run this year. The team relies heavily on the winning chemistry between sophomore Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles. Commenting on the duo, coach Ivey said:

"I love watching them. What you guys are seeing is what I’ve watched this summer and this preseason. It’s just magical.

"It’s fun to watch because they’re both dynamic and they’ve done a great job of building chemistry together. It’s just been a lot of fun. So, I think you’re going to see a lot of spectacular moments because of both of them."

Miles and Hidalgo led the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to two important victories over the JuJu Watkins-led USC Trojans and Paige Bueckers' UConn Huskies. They are now 10-2, having lost to TCU and Utah last month.

Notre Dame entered Christmas break with a five-game winning streak and will be hoping to extend it when the team returns to action on Sunday, hosting the Virginia Cavaliers at Purcell Pavilion. The game is scheduled to tip off at noon and broadcast live on the ACC Network.