Sports

24-25 Year in Review: Spring Brings New Programs/Same Excitement to End of the Year

Published

6 months ago

June 23, 2025

Wheeling, W. Va. – After seeing a successful fall followed by historic performances during the winter, the spring season would bring new life to the Wheeling Athletic Department. With two of the three new programs beginning their years, it was a chance for new opportunities for women in the department while other programs looked to build on their success. The competitive fire continued into the spring, with the teams combining for four conference tournament appearances, two trips to the National stage, and several highlight moments throughout the year.

Up first was the newest sport to the Wheeling athletics lineup, Acrobatics & Tumbling, as they compete in their inaugural season. They kicked off the season on February 2nd in front of a packed Alma Grace McDonough Center and scored 185.170 points against West Liberty. It was a strong start to the season and as the year went on they continued a Mountain East Conference (MEC) heavy schedule. They had several strong individual performances throughout the season, and it all came together with the first win in program history on March 10th against West Virginia State. The Cardinals beat the Yellow Jackets 215.255-203.555. The Cardinals would earn one more win in their final event of the regular season against Bluefield State to finish 2-6. The season continued at the MEC Individual Championships, with the Cardinals qualifying in the trio pass and scoring a 5.525 to round out their inaugural season.

Next in the lineup was the rebirth of the Wheeling Women’s Lacrosse program, who made their return to the field after a five-year hiatus. They would make a splash in their season debut, taking down Allegheny 22-9 to get things started. The Cardinals would win each of their first two games, but a tough non-conference stretch had them sitting at 2-3 entering MEC play. Wheeling’s offense would once again be the catalyst to the team’s success, as they scored 39 goals in their first two conference games, starting out 2-0. The Cardinals would add two more conference wins to their ledger, and clinched the #4 seed in the MEC Tournament field. They would host Davis & Elkins in the MEC Play-in Game and picked up an 11-8 win to advance them to the semifinals. There, their run would come to an end as they fell to the #1 seeded Bobcats, but capped off a strong return to the field. Wheeling was recognized for their hard work on the field with four players earning All-MEC honors, including a First Team honor for Trinity Rose and Head Coach Faith Flanagan winning MEC Women’s Lacrosse Coach of the Year.

The women’s sports continued to lead the charge as the Wheeling Softball team was up next, playing host to UINDY. The year began with a tough non-conference schedule as Head Coach Mallory Chapman prepared her team for the road ahead in the MEC. The Cardinals would take on UINDY, Malone, and Gannon before heading to Florida, where they picked up their first win and went 2-8 in 10 games. The Cardinals would split a doubleheader with Walsh upon their return and entered conference play at 3-15. After a slow start that saw them go 1-10 over their first 11 conference games, the Cardinals would turn things around at the end of March with a rain delay doubleheader sweep of Frostburg State. They would go 5-6 over their next 11 games and played themselves back into the MEC playoff picture. It came down to the final weekend of the season, with the Cardinals needing a split against Point Park, and a 13-1 win in game one would clinch their first MEC playoff spot since the 2018 season. The Cardinals would play a pair of tough games in the tournament, falling 1-0 to Glenville State before dropping the second game 2-1 to end their run. Amber Morgan led the way, earning Second Team All-MEC honors as she helped lead the young team.

The first men’s sport of the spring season would be Men’s Lacrosse and they got things started against #19 Chestnut Hill. The offense was strong, but the Cardinals fell 16-10 showing they can compete against ranked opponents. Wheeling would split their four non-conference games, before falling to Lake Erie in their Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) opener. They picked up their first conference win the next time out and ended up splitting their first six conference games to sit at 3-3. Wheeling needed a late-season win against Malone on April 16th and got just that as they earned a 17-13 win to clinch their playoff spot. They ended the regular season with a 23-6 win over Davis & Elkins, awarding the Cardinals their first home playoff game since 2011. Wheeling would defeat #5 seeded Davenport 12-9 in the first round, before falling in the GMAC semifinals to Seton Hill. It was Wheeling’s first semifinal appearance since 2018 as they put an exclamation point on the revitalization of the program, that began with this year’s senior class.

Wheeling Baseball was the next program to take the diamond and they started things off strong taking three of four against Pitt-Johnstown. They would go 5-5 over their 10-game non-conference schedule to start the season and hit MEC play with a bang going against defending champion The University of Charleston. The Cardinals went 1-3 in that opening weekend, a trend that continued through the MEC south portion of their schedule. With a team consisting of 23 new players, the Cardinals had their struggles and would finish 14-33 overall and 5-22 in conference play. In their final weekend of the season, the Cardinals would host West Liberty and picked up a 7-1 win in their final home game of the year. The Cardinals had two All-MEC honorees, with pitcher Sebastian Khan and outfielder Brett Johnson each earning honors for their work throughout the season. Just this past week, the Cardinals racked up their final honor, with centerfielder Nic Ancelet earning American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Atlantic Region All-Defensive honors.

Coming off a National Championship in their inaugural season, the Wheeling Women’s Rugby team was back for their first 7’s season. After going undefeated in 15’s, the Cardinals opened the 7’s season at the Frostbite 7’s and went 3-3 in their first 7’s run. The Cardinals played six regular season tournaments and would win three of those tournaments as they put together a 20-7-1 regular season record. It would earn them a spot in the Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) National 7’s and they opened postseason play with a handed 19-5 win over Bowdoin College. However, in the quarterfinals they would meet their 7’s nemesis American International College, falling 31-14. The Cardinals would win their consolation round opener against New Haven before seeing their spring season come to an end. Overall, the Cardinals went 32-7-1 combined in their inaugural season and look to continue to build towards a National Championship sweep.

The following week, it was the Men’s Rugby team’s turn to take the pitch, coming off a CRC National 7’s Championship a season ago. Just as they did that season, the Cardinals rolled through the 7’s regular season schedule, winning two of their three regular season tournaments and going 13-1, with their lone loss coming against Iowa Central Community College in their final regular season game. The Cardinals then went into the Big Rivers Rugby Conference (BRRC) 7’s Tournament and tied their first round match with Aquinas College 14-14. From there, the Cardinals never looked back, scoring 30 or more points in each of the final four games and earning a BRRC Championship with a 31-5 win over Marian. The Cardinals rode that momentum into the CRC National 7’s, scoring 30 or more points in three of the first four games to get back to the National title game. There, they would take on St. Bonaventure and won 19-5 to win their second straight national title. Also for the second year in a row, Shadreck Mandaza was named the tournament’s MVP and the Cardinals continued their National Championship reign.

After having their share of success in the fall, the Men’s and Women’s Golf teams returned to the course for their spring seasons. For the men, the Cardinals once again took on a new look with a young roster and they showed improvement each time they hit the course. Their top finish came at the West Liberty Invitational, where they finished 7th out of 10 teams shooting a team score of 602. On the women’s side, the Cardinals added two more top 10 finishes while also taking part in match play in two separate events. The Cardinals top performance was a second place finish at West Liberty, where they shot a combined 422 over two days of competition. Nicole Lincicome and Ella Keffer would each take home All-MEC honors, rounding out a strong season on the course for each of Wheeling’s top golfers.

The Track & Field team rounded things out with their outdoor season as they once again battled for MEC titles. The Cardinals once again had a strong array of talent to face throughout the spring season with a combination of NCAA DI and DII talent. The Cardinals once again had a young team at the helm, and as they entered the MEC Championship field, many athletes were competing for the first time. The Cardinals would put two athletes on the podium on the men’s side, with Kabwe Bwalya taking second in the Men’s Triple Jump and Joshua Boehm taking third in the 400-Meter Dash. On the women’s side, the Cardinals had one individual champion, as Keala McCurry swept the Pole Vault title with a height of 3.35 meters. The Cardinals additionally had four athletes finish in the top five of their events, rounding out the outdoor season.

As the department looks ahead to 2025-2026 season, the Cardinals look to continue their growth in the department and continue to compete for National Titles.

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Wisconsin volleyball knocks off Stanford in Sweet 16, moves to Elite 8

Published

10 minutes ago

December 13, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Updated Dec. 12, 2025, 7:56 p.m. CT

AUSTIN, Texas – Wisconsin volleyball has long eyed a deep postseason run.

In the NCAA tournament regional semifinals, the third-seeded Badgers fully looked the part as they outdueled second-seeded Stanford in four sets, 25-17, 21-25, 25-23, 25-22, to advance to the NCAA regional finals for the eighth consecutive season.

“The level of talent out there on the court and the level of play out there – that easily could have been a Final Four match,” Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield said afterward. “It’s unusual to see that high level and back and forth in the Sweet 16.”

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Nebraska volleyball faces Texas A&M in regional final on Channel 8

Published

27 minutes ago

December 13, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Nebraska Vs Kansas Courtesy Photo — Courtesy Nebraska Athletics

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The undefeated Nebraska volleyball team is looking to punch its ticket to Kansas City with a win over Texas A&M on Sunday.

The Huskers face off against No. 6 Texas A&M on Channel 8. That game begins at 2 p.m.

Texas A&M is coming off a five-set win over Louisville, Husker head coach Dani Busboom Kelly’s former team.

Shortly after that match, Nebraska swept Kansas in a dominant performance inside a sold-out John Cook Arena.

The Huskers are now onto their 34th regional final in program history. That is the most regional final appearances in NCAA history.

Nebraska gets another postseason game at the Bob Devaney Center. The Huskers have won 90 home matches in the NCAA Tournament.

Only four schools nationally have 90 or more victories in the tournament.

Nebraska and Texas A&M have faced off 39 times, most recently in 2010 when the Huskers swept the Aggies on the road.

Nebraska has won 32 of those matchups.

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Tracking undefeated women’s volleyball teams in 2025

Published

43 minutes ago

December 13, 2025

Your Sports Nation

We are tracking all remaining undefeated teams in DI women’s volleyball for the 2025 season. Only Nebraska is left standing after Texas fell to Texas A&M in a five-setter on Friday, Oct. 31.

Since 1981, there have been only four programs — five teams — to finish a season undefeated and win a national title: Penn State (2008, 2009), Southern California (2003), Nebraska (2000) and Long Beach State (1998).

READ MORE: Every undefeated national champion in college volleyball history

Penn State holds the longest win streak in DI women’s volleyball history with 109 match victories from 2007-10, with the Nittany Lions winning four consecutive titles (2007 through 2010). The 2009 title team is the most recent undefeated champion.

Will there be another team to etch its name into history this season? Follow along here:

Undefeated DI women’s volleyball teams in 2025

Rankings are from the AVCA:

No. 1 Nebraska (33-0): The Huskers’ extend their win-streak to 33 after most recently sweeping Kansas on Friday, Dec. 12 in the regional semifinal of the NCAA tournament. Next: vs. Texas A&M (NCAA Tournament)

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Steinbrecher Named ECAC Coach of the Year, Louisell Named First Team

Published

2 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Your Sports Nation

DANBURY, Conn. – James Madison volleyball Head Coach Lauren Steinbrecher was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Coach of the Year while Kennedy Louisell took home First Team honors, the organization announced on Friday.

Steinbrecher – also named the Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year – led JMU to a Sun Belt regular-season championship in 2025, finishing 22-9 and 13-3 in league play. The Dukes led the conference in kills (1,695), assists (1,594), and hitting percentage (.255) along with ranking seventh nationally with 325.5 blocks (2.58 per set).

Louisell added to her list of accolades, as the junior was also named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-East Region team on Dec. 9. The 2025 Sun Belt Player of the Year set JMU Division I single-season school records in kills (605) and kills per set (4.80), along with the single-match record for kills (38), doing so against Georgia Southern on Oct. 25.

After bringing in eight new players following an 11-16 record in 2024, Steinbrecher and the Dukes rebounded from a 2-4 start to the 2025 campaign by ratting off 13 straight wins from Sept. 27 to Nov. 13 – tied for the third longest winning streak in program history.

ECAC Major Awards

Player of the Year: Korrin Burns – Saint Francis University, Sr., OH

Libero of the Year: Jessie Golden – Brown University, Sr., L

Rookie of the Year: Ava Poinsett – Yale University, Fr., OH

Coach of the Year: Lauren Steinbrecher, James Madison

ECAC Division I Women’s Volleyball All-ECAC First Team*

TaKenya Stafford – Coppin State, Rs-Sr., OH

Kiannisha Santiago – Rider University, Sr., OPP

Korrin Burns – Saint Francis University, Sr., OH

Kennedy Louisell – James Madison University, Jr., OH

Izadora Stedile – Hofstra University, Sr., OH

Alexandra Sappia – Saint Francis University, Rs-Sr., S

Jessie Golden – Brown University, Sr., L

ECAC Division I Women’s Volleyball All-ECAC Second Team

Kali Moore – Stony Brook University, Sr., OH

Arianna Ugolini – Bryant University, Sr., OH

Maya Walker – Fairfield University, Sr., MB

Ava Poinsett – Yale University, Fr., OH

Sydney Draper – Princeton University, Jr., S

Coco Figueroa – Coppin State, Jr., L

ABOUT THE ECAC

The ECAC (Eastern College Athletic Conference) is an eighty-five-year-old organization with well over 200 member schools across all three NCAA Divisions – I, II and III. The ECAC exists to enhance the experience of student-athletes participating in intercollegiate athletics and provides great value for universities and colleges by sponsoring championships, leagues, bowl games, tournaments and other competitions throughout the Northeast.

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Sports

Jane Hays Named Associate Head Coach of Georgetown Volleyball

Published

2 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University volleyball has named Jane Hays as the Associate Head Coach, as announced by Head Coach AJ Bonetti on Friday morning.

“The decision to name Jane Hays as Associate Head Coach was an easy one. She has earned this through exceptional performance, unparalleled strategic input and her leadership both on the court and in the locker room. She is a vital piece of our coaching structure, and I look forward to continuing our partnership as we continue to build Georgetown Volleyball into the program we all know it can become; one competing for BIG EAST Championships!” – Head Coach AJ Bonetti

Hays joined the Georgetown volleyball staff in April 2023 and has served as Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator. She has been instrumental in the program’s rise, helping the Hoyas achieve their highest BIG EAST finish since 2018 and securing wins over multiple RPI Top-75 opponents. As the program’s recruiting coordinator, she led the effort to sign Georgetown’s highest-ranked class in school history, with the 2027 class earning a No. 45 national ranking.

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Huskers Cruise Into Regional Final – University of Nebraska

Published

2 hours ago

December 13, 2025

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LINCOLN, Neb. – The No. 1 Nebraska volleyball team cruised into the NCAA Regional Finals with a 25-12, 25-11, 25-12 sweep of No. 16 Kansas on Friday night in front of a crowd of 8,800 at John Cook Arena at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

The Huskers (33-0) were dominant from start to finish, never trailing in the match. NU hit .450 – its third-highest attack percentage of the year – and stifled the Jayhawks (24-11) to a season-low .029 hitting percentage. Nebraska also out-blocked Kansas, 10-1, out-dug the Jayhawks 48-30 and had six services aces and only three errors while KU had one ace and six errors.

Nebraska’s middles were dominant, combining for 21 kills on 28 error-free swings (.750 attack percentage) while adding eight blocks. Rebekah Allick had nine kills on nine swings to hit 1.000, and she added three blocks. Andi Jackson also had nine kills on .600 hitting with five blocks. Manaia Ogbechie produced three kills on four swings in the third set.

Harper Murray added seven kills and had a match-high 10 digs. Bergen Reilly dished out 30 assists while Olivia Mauch had a season-high three aces.

Three players led Kansas with six kills.

Set 1: NU got off to a 4-0 start on Choboy’s serve with a kill by Allick and two blocks by Jackson, one with Adriano and one with Murray. After Kansas got on the board, NU scored a 6-0 run with Mauch serving a pair of aces to go up 10-1. Jackson’s fourth block – with Reilly – and a kill by the junior middle blocker made it 13-3 Big Red. The Jayhawks scored three in a row to cut it to 13-6, but four kills by Allick put NU ahead 18-7. Landfair set Allick for her sixth kill on six swings, and a solo block by the senior middle blocker made it 21-8. Jackson and Landfair tacked on kills for a 25-12 win.

Set 2: Adriano had an early kill and an ace, and Murray and Jackson each posted a kill and a block together as the Huskers built a 7-3 lead. KU pulled within 9-7, but a Murray kill started a 5-0 run with Allick providing two kills and a block with Adriano. The lead grew to 10 at 19-9 after a block by Allick and Adriano and a kill by Murray. An Adriano kill made it 20-9, and Jackson and Murray teamed up for a block and a 22-11 lead. The Huskers closed out a 25-11 win on a Choboy ace.

Set 3: Sigler had two kills, and Landfair and Jackson pounded away for a 9-4 NU lead. Landfair tacked on another kill before one by Manaia Ogbechie put NU ahead 13-6. Ogbechie, Murray and Jackson added kills, and Murray served an ace to help the Huskers go up 20-9. NU went on to finish the sweep, 25-12.

Up Next: Nebraska will take on No. 6 Texas A&M in Sunday’s NCAA Regional Final at 2 p.m. on ABC. The Aggies beat No. 9 Louisville, 3-2 in a reverse sweep, in the first match on Friday.

Nebraska Post-Match Notes

With the win, Nebraska advanced to an NCAA Regional Final for the 34th time in program history. The Huskers’ 34 regional final appearances are the most in NCAA history. Nebraska has made an NCAA Regional Final in 13 of the past 14 seasons.
The Huskers played their 175th NCAA Tournament match tonight. Nebraska and Stanford are the only two programs to play 175 NCAA Tournament matches.
With the win, Nebraska improved to 137-38 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers rank second in NCAA history in postseason wins and winning percentage (.783).
The win was Nebraska’s 33rd consecutive victory. The Huskers are 33-0 this season, marking the third straight season Nebraska has won 33 matches. The 33 wins tie for the second-most victories in a season by a Husker team in the NCAA era (1981-present).
Nebraska improved to 34-7 all-time in NCAA Regional Semifinal matches, including a 17-1 record in matches played in Lincoln.
The Huskers improved to 90-7 all-time in home NCAA Tournament matches, including a 35-2 record at the Devaney Center.
Nebraska has won 90 home matches in the NCAA Tournament while only four other schools have 90 or more total victories in the NCAA Tournament.
NU has won 29 consecutive home matches in the NCAA Tournament, a school record.
Overall, Nebraska has won 63 consecutive home matches dating back to Dec. 1, 2022. That ties for the fifth-longest streak in NCAA Division I history and ties for the second-longest streak in Husker history.
With the win, Nebraska improved to 13-0 against ranked opponents this season. The 13 victories against ranked opponents are tied for second in school history, one shy of the school record (14 in 1998).
Nebraska won the first two sets and is now 106-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament when taking a 2-0 lead.
Nebraska was the first to 20 points in each of the three sets. The Huskers are now 95-0 this season in sets when reaching 20 points first.
The Huskers held Kansas to fewer than 15 points in all three sets. That marked the second time this season that Nebraska has held its opponents to fewer than 15 points in every set, with both occurrences coming against top-25 teams (also against No. 25 Penn State on Nov. 28).
Nebraska won the first set, 25-12. That marked the Huskers’ 46th consecutive set won at home this season. That is a school record for consecutive sets won at home in one season, eclipsing the 45 consecutive home sets won by the 2004 team.
Overall, Nebraska has now won 48 consecutive sets at home which ties for the second-longest streak in school history, trailing only the 52 consecutive home sets won spanning the 2001-02 seasons.
Nebraska stuffed four of Kansas’ first 11 swings of the night, recording four blocks in the first eight rallies. The Huskers had as many blocks in the match’s first 15 rallies (5) as they did in their second-round sweep of Kansas State last Saturday.
Fueled by the block, Nebraska won 13 of the first 16 rallies of the match to take a 13-3 lead.
Nebraska finished with 10 blocks in the match, tying for its highest block total in 13 matches.
The Huskers hit .450 in the match, its third-highest attack percentage this season. Two of Nebraska’s three matches this season hitting .450 or better have come in the NCAA Tournament.
Nebraska has now hit above .400 in nine matches this season, the most in a single season in the rally-scoring era (2001-present).
The Huskers played three middle blockers in the match in Rebekah Allick, Andi Jackson and Manaia Ogbechie. The middles combined for 21 kills on 28 error-free swings. Allick had a kill on each of her nine swings.
Allick also had three blocks in the match, increasing her career total to 539 blocks and moving into 10th place on Nebraska’s all-time blocks list.
Harper Murray had seven kills in the match, increasing her career total to 1,156. She passed Lexi Sun and moved into 10th place on Nebraska’s career kills list in the rally-scoring era.
Olivia Mauch had a season-high three aces in the match.
Nebraska limited Kansas to a season-low .029 attack percentage. The Jayhawks’ previous low was a .104 hitting percentage against Kansas State on Oct. 24.
The Huskers have held 15 opponents under a .100 hitting percentage this season.
Kansas did not have a block until the 31st rally of the third set. The Jayhawks finished with one block, marking the third time this season a Husker opponent has totaled only one block.