University of North Carolina Athletics
Women’s Basketball’s Kelly & Nivar To Accompany Banghart At ACC Tipoff
September 30, 2025 | Women's Basketball
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The start of the 2025-26 season is in sight as North Carolina Women's Basketball is set for the 2025 ACC Tipoff, with head coach Courtney Banghart to be joined by guards Reniya Kelly and Indya Nivar on Monday, Oct. 6 from Charlotte.
Carolina enters year seven of the Banghart era, coming off 29 wins and its second Sweet 16 appearance in the last four seasons. Despite losing a veteran group to graduation, the Tar Heels return eight from last year's squad which hosted NCAA Tournament action in Chapel Hill for the first time since 2015.
Kelly took a huge jump as a sophomore in Carolina blue, increasing her scoring production by over 108% as she averaged 9.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. Knocking down a total of 40 triples, Kelly shot 41.2% from beyond the arc to rank No. 4 in a single season at UNC. The only Tar Heel to post back-to-back 20-point outings last year, Kelly dropped 23 points in the win over No. 10 NC State en route to earning ACC Player of the Week honors. After scoring 11.4 points per game against ACC foes, Kelly earned a spot on the All-ACC Second Team.
In her second season in Chapel Hill, Nivar's game continued to flourish as the Apex, N.C., native totaled 14 games in double-figure scoring. Pacing the Tar Heels with 68 steals, Nivar grabbed the most in a season under Banghart and ranked in the top-10 in the ACC with an average of 2.0 swipes per game. Starting in all 34 games in which she played, Nivar averaged 8.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per outing.
With the addition of four freshmen and two transfers, the Tar Heels get their first taste of competition in an exhibition meeting against South Carolina on Oct. 30 from State Farm Arena in Atlanta at 6 p.m. ET. Carolina opens the regular season on Nov. 3 from Carmichael Arena against NC Central at 11 a.m. ET for its annual Field Trip Day game.
Stay up to date with the latest North Carolina women's basketball news on X at @UNCWBB, Instagram @UNCWBB and Facebook at Carolina Women's Basketball.
Carolina enters year seven of the Banghart era, coming off 29 wins and its second Sweet 16 appearance in the last four seasons. Despite losing a veteran group to graduation, the Tar Heels return eight from last year's squad which hosted NCAA Tournament action in Chapel Hill for the first time since 2015.
Kelly took a huge jump as a sophomore in Carolina blue, increasing her scoring production by over 108% as she averaged 9.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. Knocking down a total of 40 triples, Kelly shot 41.2% from beyond the arc to rank No. 4 in a single season at UNC. The only Tar Heel to post back-to-back 20-point outings last year, Kelly dropped 23 points in the win over No. 10 NC State en route to earning ACC Player of the Week honors. After scoring 11.4 points per game against ACC foes, Kelly earned a spot on the All-ACC Second Team.
In her second season in Chapel Hill, Nivar's game continued to flourish as the Apex, N.C., native totaled 14 games in double-figure scoring. Pacing the Tar Heels with 68 steals, Nivar grabbed the most in a season under Banghart and ranked in the top-10 in the ACC with an average of 2.0 swipes per game. Starting in all 34 games in which she played, Nivar averaged 8.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per outing.
With the addition of four freshmen and two transfers, the Tar Heels get their first taste of competition in an exhibition meeting against South Carolina on Oct. 30 from State Farm Arena in Atlanta at 6 p.m. ET. Carolina opens the regular season on Nov. 3 from Carmichael Arena against NC Central at 11 a.m. ET for its annual Field Trip Day game.
Stay up to date with the latest North Carolina women's basketball news on X at @UNCWBB, Instagram @UNCWBB and Facebook at Carolina Women's Basketball.
Players Mentioned
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