Stephanie White Sets Fan Expectations for Fever-Wings Matchup

The Indiana Fever traveled to Brooklyn for their preseason opener against the New York Liberty this past weekend. And on Thursday night, the team will host its first home game of the season - a preseason matchup against the Dallas Wings.

Since Caitlin Clark’s arrival as the WNBA’s No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, the Fever’s fanbase has separated itself as one of the most passionate groups in the league. Clark helped facilitate countless TV viewership and in-person attendance records - catalyzed by fervent Fever fans.

Fever head coach Stephanie White expects more of the same when Clark and the Fever take the court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday night.

“Our fans are incredible. We expect it to be a packed house. We expect it to be a great environment,” White said. “It’s been a long time since last fall - the last time we were able to play a game in our home arena. Really looking forward to playing at home.”

This preseason home opener has some added intrigue for Fever fans, who saw extremely limited action from Clark through the 2025 WNBA season. Following her WNBA Rookie of the Year season in 2024, Clark appeared in just 13 games for Indiana in 2025 as she dealt with a variety of injury issues.

Clark played just 17 minutes in the Fever’s preseason win over the Liberty on Saturday. She struggled with her shot in her return to the WNBA court, scoring seven points on 2/10 shooting from the field and 1/5 shooting from behind the 3-point arc.

Thursday’s Fever-Wings matchup will tipoff at 7 p.m. ET. Two days later, Indiana and Dallas will open up their regular-season schedules with another matchup at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

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This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 12:17 PM.