The inaugural USA Volleyball Girls Junior Club Championship, a new national event, has been scheduled for June 5–7, 2026, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio.

The standalone, non-bid championship event will offer competition for girls teams in the 10u through 17u divisions. It will initially welcome 450 teams and is projected to grow into a 1,000–plus team championship in the coming years.

“Columbus is excited to host another big event with the inaugural USA Volleyball Girls Club Championship in 2026,” said Linda Logan, chief executive officer and president of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission. “Two key factors in what makes this a great market for volleyball are the strength of the Ohio Valley Region and a top host venue in the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Combined with the city’s central location, that makes Columbus ideal for participants and their families to explore some of our unique neighborhoods. USA Volleyball is a great partner, and we look forward to working with them again to create special memories for the girls playing in this championship.”

The GJCC will replace the Patriot Division within USA Volleyball’s Girls Junior National Championship structure for these age groups, which will now allow for additional bids in each division for GJNC beginning with the 2026 season. The initiative will enable USA Volleyball to expand its network of junior national qualifiers across the country, helping to reduce travel costs for clubs and families while meeting the growing demand for USAV-sanctioned events.

“The launch of the USA Volleyball Girls Junior Club Championship is an exciting step forward for our membership,” said USA Volleyball Chief Operating Officer Steve Bishop. “This new event is ideal for USA Volleyball clubs looking to compete in a high-quality, three-day, non-bid national championship during the early June window each year. This championship is just one of several initiatives we are rolling out during this quadrennial to expand opportunities and pathways for our clubs, athletes and coaches nationwide. We look forward to seeing this event grow in size and impact in the years to come.”

The inaugural GJCC will feature eight age divisions (10u–17u), a three-day event format (pool play, challenge rounds, bracket play) and multiple playoff divisions after pool play. The event will include awards for division champions and an overall Club Cup for the top performing club.

Following on from the historic 2024 campaign which saw Great Britain women’s water polo team back on the global competition stage for the first time in over a decade, a team of 14 has been selected for the forthcoming world championships in Singapore.

Aiming to build upon their 11th place overall standing Doha, the team’s action gets underway with a Group D match against France on Friday 11th July [6.45am BST] – followed by games against South Africa (Sunday 13th July [5.10am BST]) and Spain (Tuesday 15th July [6.45am BST]).

Standings from the group stage will decide progression through the classification rounds, with the final women’s matches taking place on Wednesday 23rd July.

Preparations for the tournament have seen the team recently come together for a training camp in Athens, Greece, before sharpening their match readiness with a testimonial game against France in Paris.

Kathy Rogers – who will captain the women’s team in Singapore – spoke passionately about the groups readiness to continue making progress on the world stage.

“As the World Championships approach, the energy and excitement within the team continues to build,” she said.

“With only a couple of training sessions remaining, our focus is shifting to fine-tuning the details and elevating our overall performance. As a relatively new squad, the international camps in the build-up have played a vital role in strengthening team cohesion and chemistry.

“The motivation is strong, and the players are fully committed to making progress in every session as we work toward our goals on the world stage.”

Theo Nousios, Head Coach adding:

“We’re currently in preparations and building steadily toward the World Championships in Singapore.

“It’s an exciting opportunity for this group to continue developing on the international stage. We’re approaching the competition with focus and intent, but without pressure – our goal is to learn, grow, and represent Great Britain with pride. Thank you for supporting us on this journey.”

Aquatics GB Women’s Water Polo team for 2025 World Aquatics Championships (26nd July-3rd August 2025)

• Cassidy Ball (GK)
• Lucy Blenkinship
• Katie Brown
• Annie Clapperton
• Katy Cutler
• Harriet Dickens
• Toula Falvey
• Izzy Howe
• Sophie Jackson (GK)
• Amelie Perkins
• Amelia Peters
• Kathy Rogers
• Brooke Tafazolli
• Lily Turner

Full schedule and results of the World Aquatics Championships can be found on the World Aquatics website, with streaming of live action available on the Eurovision Sport platform.

TALLAHASSEE – Lottie Woad, the most decorated player in the history of the Florida State University Women’s Golf program, has been named a First Team Academic All-American by the College Sports Communicators. The Seminole junior is one of 16 student-athletes – and the only golfer – named to the 2024-25 Academic All-American Division I At-Large First-Team.

Woad is the third female Florida State student-athlete to earn First Team Academic All-American At-Large honors joining Wendy Markham of the Seminole Track and Field team in 1985 and Mihaela Moldovan of the Florida State Women’s Tennis team in 2004. A total of seven Florida State female student-athletes have been named At-Large Academic All-Americans a total of eight times since 1985. Woad owns a 3.75 grade point average in sport management. She has been named to the CSC Academic All-District team in both of the last two years (2024 and 2025), the All-ACC Academic Women’s Golf Team in each of her three seasons as a Seminole, and to the ACC Academic Honor Roll twice times during her career.

Woad is the No. 1 golfer in Florida State history with a 70.42 stroke average for her career and a five-time First-Team All-American on the course. The 2024 Augusta National Amateur Champion is also a two-time top 10 finisher at the NCAA Championship finals.  Woad finished in second place in the individual standings at the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships and in eighth place in the NCAA Division I Championships in 2025.  She was named the 2024 ACC Golfer of the Year and is a three-time All-ACC selection as a Seminole.

Woad is currently the No. 1 ranked amateur women’s golfer in the world as ranked by the World Amateur Golf Rankings. She has been ranked the world’s No. 1 ranked amateur golfer since July 31, 2024 – a span of 47 consecutive weeks.

Woad won the championship of the 2025 Women’s Irish Open on July 6, 2025 and will play in the Evian Championship in France which is a major championship on the Ladies European Tour. She won the Irish Open while playing as an amateur with a 21 under par score of 271.  Woad won the championship by six strokes.

2025 Women’s At Large Academic All-American First Team

Lottie Woad, Florida State University, Golf

Daniela Alvarez TCU, Beach Volleyball

Carly Bauman, Michigan, Gymnastics

Arianna Cao Stanford, Fencing

Tori DiCarlo, U.S. Naval Academy, Lacrosse

Emma Malabuyo, UCLA, Gymnsatics

Grace McCallum, Utah, Gymnastics

Brooklyn Moors, UCLA, Gymnastics

Ryann Neushul, Stanford, Water Polo

Tenlea Radack, US Naval Academy, Crew/Rosing

Sara Rask, Denver, Skiing

Clara Van Wieren, Minnesota Duluth, Ice Hockey

Audrey Wethington, Minnesota, Ice Hockey

Leanne Wong, Florida, Gymnastics

Katie Zaun, TCU, Rifle,

Maddie Zimmer, Northwestern, Field Hockey

 

The Northland was well represented by multiple athletes in this year’s USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship age divisions 14 through 17. Hundreds of volleyball…

The Big East and ESPN are reuniting in a six-year deal that will give added content from across 22 sports to the network’s direct-to-consumer platform set to launch in the fall. The pact, which will be with ESPN+, does not include a linear component, as those deals were struck a year ago with Fox, NBC and TNT Sports. This deal, which is not a sublicense (done directly with the conference), will see 25 non-conference men’s basketball games stream on ESPN+ (ESPN’s DTC service is inclusive of ESPN+) starting with the 2025-26 school year. The tonnage within the pact, which was previously with FloSports over the last three school years (under the Big East Digital Network banner), is a minimum of 75 women’s basketball games and 200 Olympic sports events. Sources close to the situation said that a rights fee is involved, and the Big East will produce all streamed games.

Proskauer’s Benjamin Freeman repped the Big East in negotiations alongside Commissioner Val Ackerman. Handling talks for ESPN were SVP/Programming & Acquisitions Nick Dawson and Director of Programming & Acquisitions Mallory Kenny.

The Big East’s relationship with ESPN dates back to the conference’s first national deal in 1980. That deal ran until 2013, when the Big East went to Fox Sports after the seven Catholic schools broke off from the football schools.