Sports
NCAA Women’s 400 — Butler All The Way
THIS WAS THE ONLY event showcasing a pair of Olympic gold medalists: Georgia junior Aaliyah Butler and Arkansas soph Kaylyn Brown, members of Team USA’s Paris 4×4 group. Butler, with a new 49.44 PR and undefeated this year, seemed to have the edge over Brown, who placed 2nd in last year’s unprecedented Arkansas sweep, but had progressed more gradually in ’25.
With 9 other entrants producing times better than 51, this promised to be a fast and competitive final. The semis reinforced this notion.
In the first, Butler cruised smoothly to a 50.16, ahead of Arkansas senior Rosey Effiong (50.49). Brown and LSU’s Ella Onojuvwevwo, a Nigerian Olympian, entered the final straight together in the next semi. From there, Tiger junior Onojuvwevwo pulled powerfully away to a 50.31 PR, establishing herself as another title threat.
The third semi was a runaway for Georgia junior Dejanea Oakley, who produced a PR 50.18 ahead of Iowa State’s Rachel Joseph (50.77). A 51.35 was necessary to qualify for the final; two women at 51.40, South Carolina’s Zaya Akins and San Diego State’s Shaquena Foote, were eliminated.
For the final, Butler drew lane 6, with Oakley, Effiong and Brown to her outside, Joseph and Onojuvwevwo to her left in 4 and 5.
From the start, Butler controlled the race. First to 100m, she powered down the back straight, opening a big gap on those in the inside lanes.
She went by Oakley at the 200 stagger, flew around the curve, passed 300 in 35.9 and entered the homestraight with a 2m lead on Effiong, with Oakley in 3rd another meter back, and Brown 4th.
Butler maintained her form and pace down the stretch, and crossed the finish in a PR 49.26, as =No. 9 all-time U.S. performer. Oakley passed Effiong with 75m remaining and actually closed a bit on her teammate, finishing in 49.65, her second PR in three days.
Effiong, with a 7th and two 4ths in previous championships, hung on for 3rd in 50.51, just ahead of a big rush by Onojuvwevwo (50.57). Brown faded to 5th, inches ahead of Joseph.
The 1-2 finish essentially clinched the women’s team title for Georgia.
Butler: “I felt great. Last year I didn’t make it to the final, indoors I got 2nd, so I knew coming out here I really wanted to win. I’ve been working hard and I just put my trust in my coaches because this whole season, it was like, ‘You can win big.’ I wanted to do that today and I did it.”
WOMEN’S 400 RESULTS
FINAL (June 14)
1. *Aaliyah Butler (Ga) 49.26 PR (out CL) (=9, x A; 6, 6 C)
2. *Dejanea Oakley’ (Ga-Jam) 49.65 PR (10, x C)
3. Rosey Effiong (Ar) 50.51
4. *Ella Onojuvwevwo’ (LSU-Ngr) 50.57
5. **Kaylyn Brown (Ar) 51.30
6. *Rachel Joseph (IaSt) 51.36
7. Sami Oblad (BYU) 51.57
8. **Kaelyaah Liburd’ (FlSt-BVI) 51.69
9. Vimbayi Maisvorewa’ (Aub-Zim) 51.84.
SEMIS (June 12)
I–1. Butler 50.16; 2. Effiong 50.49; 3. Liburd’ 51.35; 4. *Yemi John’ (USC-GB) 51.41; 5. Jaydan Wood (TxAM) 52.23; 6. **Onyah Favour (SEnLa) 52.39; 7. Caitlyn Bobb’ (VaT-Ber) 52.42; 8. ***Damaris Mutunga’ (Ia-Ken) 52.89.
II–1. Onojuvwevwo’ 50.31 PR; 2. Brown 50.91; 3. Maisvorewa’ 51.19; 4. **Zaya Akins (SC) 51.40; 5. *Shaquena Foote’ (SDi-Jam) 51.40; 6. **Davenae Fagan (Cinc) 52.51; 7. Aaliyah Pyatt (Ar) 52.66; 8. *Sanaria Butler (Ar) 52.78.
III–1. Oakley’ 50.18 PR; 2. Joseph 50.77; 3. Oblad 51.20; 4. *Javonya Valcourt’ (Tn-Bah) 51.65; 5. Maygan Shaw (NWnLa) 51.80; 6. Sara Reifenrath (SD) 52.72; 7. Charlee Crawford (Rut) 53.09; 8. Joanne Reid’ (Ar-Jam) 53.11.
Updated Dec. 17, 2025, 11:38 p.m. ET
KANSAS CITY, MO ― Upon arriving at last year’s NCAA volleyball Final Four in Louisville, Kentucky, Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Dan Fisher received several commemorative Louisville Slugger bats.
Throughout the 2025 season, they would sit in his office in special holders, serving as a reminder of what could have been. Last December, Pitt’s title push ended shy of the championship game. After making four consecutive Final Four appearances without winning a trophy, the No. 1 overall seed fell short ― again. The Panthers lost 3-1 to the Louisville Cardinals in the semifinals and went home empty-handed.
On Wednesday, Fisher, well aware that Pitt let a potential chance at a championship slip away, reflected on the disappointment he felt.
“I can simultaneously be proud of making the Final Four and disappointed we didn’t advance,” he said. “I can hold those two thoughts at once.”
The balancing act of holding space for pride and disappointment has likely been something the Panthers coach and his team have been silently juggling all season. At some point, it probably had to become a small part of what fueled them to get back to volleyball’s biggest stage and return for a fifth straight Final Four ― even if they may never admit it out loud. Multiple opportunities to win a championship don’t happen often, and when a team can’t bring home any hardware, the questions about winning inevitably become louder.
Will Pitt ever be the “bride” and not the “bridesmaid”? Is this the year the Panthers finally put it all together?
Six total players at the 2025 Final Four have experience playing at this level. Fisher’s roster has five of the six Final Four veterans. Pitt opposite Olivia Babcock and middle blocker Bre Kelley have been to two prior Final Fours. Several other Panthers players have been to at least one. Wisconsin Badgers middle blocker Carter Booth, with one appearance, is the remaining player. With so many young and new faces on all four tournament rosters, Pitt’s experience could prove valuable if it wants to reach the national championship on Sunday. Babcock addressed the potential advantage during Wednesday’s Panthers press conference.
“Since so many people have been here before, we were able to prepare the newer players coming into this experience what to expect,” Babcock said. “We’re also able to just remind them constantly that even though there will be a lot of media ― things there wouldn’t typically be ― stay locked in at the goal at hand. It is very easy to get distracted. I think those players are going to help our newer players be able to hone in on the task.”
Babcock stressed that it’s an honor to be on the Final Four stage. Still, she says the Panthers are focused. Their preparation has been better, including how they practice and scout opponents and visualize matches. Kelley shed a bit more light on how the Panthers are staying grounded as they approach Thursday’s semifinal match.
“In the past, I feel like we’ve always made it a point that we have to win the Final Four. This year, we have really emphasized, especially with our sports psychologist, to play ball,” Kelley said. “Obviously, we’re trying to embrace this moment and be where our feet are. This game is supposed to be fun. It’s not supposed to be severely taxing on your mind and body.”
The Panthers revealed that the team has broken down every intense matchup, as far back as a September regular-season sweep against the No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats, to just one point at a time. The team said even in a dominant 3-0 win like that one, the focus this year has been on being “good” after getting to 20 points in a set. Once the Panthers get to that point, Babcock says they are “able to flip a switch”. Then, it becomes a matter of which team gets to 25 first. She believes that if Pitt is playing “the best points of (their lives)”, they’ll find a lot of success. Fisher seemed to be in lockstep with that thought process.
“The main message is just to stay in the moment,” he said. “Along with that, we were touching on it earlier about what’s different about this team, and I think when we’re playing our best, we’re really good. So just knowing that we don’t know what the outcome will be, but we certainly know how good we can be…”
Pitt takes on No. 3 Texas A&M during the 2025 NCAA volleyball Final Four at 6:30 p.m. ET Thursday on ESPN.
Kofe earned the distinction via a 3.81 GPA while majoring in marketing and leading the Aggie offense to a program-record .274 hitting percentage this season, ranking third in the nation with 11.08 assists per set and also earning Mountain West Player of the Year honors. Kofe is the only player in the nation with three matches of 60 or more assists. Her 1,330 total assists this season ranks fifth all-time at USU while she already sits in eighth for career assists at Utah State with 2,290. Kofe also added 32 kills, 28 aces, 285 digs and 37 total blocks on the year.
Barlow received the honor after posting a 3.97 GPA while majoring in integrated studies. This season, Barlow Utah State’s single-season program record for hitting percentage with a mark of .444, shattering the previous mark of .375 (min. 5 attempts per set) held by Denae Mohlman and set in 1997. Barlow is now the career record holder for hitting percentage, sitting at .418 for her career at Utah State, topping current assistant coach/director of operations Kennedi Hansen’s career mark of .362 (min. 1,000 attacks). Barlow recorded six matches of at least 17 attempts and zero hitting errors this season while no other player in the nation had more than four according to ESPN research. Barlow finished with 321 kills, 18 aces, 51 digs and 93 blocks on the season. She earned All-MW honors for the fourth time in her career.
Helgesen earned the award after recording a 3.57 GPA while majoring in psychology. Helgesen finished the season with 391 kills on a .295 hitting percentage, the 10th-highest hitting percentage in program history with at least five attempts per set. Helgesen also ranks seventh all-time for career hitting percentage at USU (min. 1,000 attempts) with a mark of .275 as an Aggie. Helgesen broke USU’s single-game hitting percentage record with at least 20 attempts, hitting .704 against Grand Canyon. Helgesen also added 26 aces, 96 digs and 68 blocks on the year. She earned All-MW honors for the first time in her career this season.
Štiglic earned the honor after posting a 3.68 GPA and majoring in marketing. Štiglic finished the season with a team-high 3.56 kills per set, totaling 431 kills alongside 29 aces, 146 digs and 63 blocks. Štiglic earned all-MW honors this season after ranking seventh in kills per set (3.63) and fourth in points per set (4.27) during conference play. Štiglic also ranked sixth in the MW with 0.31 aces per set, totaling 21. She hit double-digit kills in 17 of 18 matches during MW action, totaling nine kills in her lone match not reaching the plateau. Štiglic also recorded seven matches with multiple aces.
Fans can follow the Aggie volleyball program on Twitter, @USUVolleyball, on Facebook at /USUVolleyball or on Instagram, @usuvolleyball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.
– USU –
The Honorable Mention All-America honors come after both Ptacek and Zelenovic were named First Team All-Big 12, leading one of the league’s most efficient and balanced offenses. Under first year head coach Matt Ulmer, the Jayhawks finished with a 24-11 and the program’s fourth appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16 all-time.
Ptacek, a native of Prescott, Wis., earns her first career All-America honors after hitting .314 with 331 kills, 136 blocks and 27 service aces during the 2025 season. Ptacek was recently named to the AVCA All-Region Team and was named to the AVCA Player of the Year Watch List during the 2025 season.
Zelenovic, a freshman from Novi Sad, Serbia, finished a standout freshman season for the Jayhawks, leading the team with 485.5 total points, 375 kills, 46 service aces and a .276 hitting percentage. Defensively, Zelenovic posted 123 total blocks. Zelenovic was also named to the AVCA All-Region Team and was named as the Central Region’s Freshman of the Year.
Ptacek and Zelenovic are the latest Jayhawks to earn All-America honors, becoming the 14th and 15th Jayhawks to earn All-America honors all-time. Kansas has had multiple All-Americans in just eight seasons all-time, including 2025, 2024, 2023, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013.
See below for a full list of Kansas volleyball All-American honors:
Josi Lima 2003 Honorable Mention Caroline Jarmoc 2013 Third Team 2012 Second Team Chelsea Albers 2014 Honorable Mention 2013 Honorable Mention Sara McClinton 2013 Honorable Mention Erin McNorton 2013 Honorable Mention Cassie Wait 2016 Honorable Mention Ainise Havili 2017 Honorable Mention 2016 Third Team 2015 First Team 2014 Honorable Mention Kelsie Payne 2017 Third Team 2016 First Team 2015 First Team Madison Rigdon 2017 Honorable Mention 2016 Honorable Mention Caroline Bien 2021 Honorable Mention Reagan Cooper 2023 Third Team Camryn Turner 2024 Third Team 2023 Honorable Mention Toyosi Onabanjo 2024 Honorable Mention
Burilovic’s selection makes her the volleyball program’s seventh All-American (sixth athlete), and she collects the fifth presented by the AVCA (since 1981). She becomes the Buffs’ first AVCA All-American since middle blocker Naghede Abu was named to the third team at the conclusion of the 2018 season. The Buffs also boast six previous AVCA All-American honorable mentions and two Volleyball Magazine All-American honorable mentions.
“We couldn’t be more proud of Ana’s efforts and achievements this season, and it’s gratifying to see her get the recognition she deserves,” head coach Jesse Mahoney stated. “She has grown into one of the premier six-rotation players in the country.”
Last week, Burilovic was named to the AVCA All-West Region First Team for the first time in her career, just a week after being selected to the 2025 All-Big 12 First Team. On Sept. 30, Burilovic was named AVCA Player of the Week and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after aiding the Buffs in their road sweep over then-No. 14 BYU and then-No. 23 Utah. She was named Big 12 OPOW again on Nov. 4, after leading Colorado’s win over Northern Colorado with 30 kills, hitting .329, nine digs, two blocks and one ace (Oct. 28). At the beginning of the season, Burilovic was selected to the 2025 Preseason Big 12 Team, and she was on the Anteater Classic and Buffs Invitational all-tournament teams.
Burilovic led the Big 12 in points per set with 5.47, good for sixth in the NCAA, and in kills per set with 4.71, good for ninth in the country. She was also third in conference for aces per set with 0.43, landing at 46th in the country. In the NCAA, Burilovic was also fifth for total points (656.0), seventh for total attacks (1,424), eighth for total kills (565), 17th for attacks per set (11.87), and 23rd for total aces (51).
In her 32 matches in 2025, she has accumulated 565 kills, 211 digs, 51 aces, 64 blocks and 19 assists. Burilovic has four kill-dig double-doubles on the season, now totaling 10 in her career. She has had 13 matches with 20 or more kills this season (a CU VB record). Burilovic surpassed 1,000 career kills at West Virginia, becoming the 19th Buff to total over 1,000 career kills. She now has 1,061 career kills, 521 career digs, 118 career aces and 116 career blocks.
At the end of the 2025 season, Burilovic leads the program in rally-scoring era aces with 115, putting her at eighth overall. She is also 15th in CU history for career kills (1,061), and second overall for kills in a single season with 537. Additionally, with two 30-kill matches against UCF (Oct. 2) and at Northern Colorado (Oct. 28), she is only the second player in Colorado Volleyball history to have two matches in a single season with over 30 kills.
Fourteen student-athletes across the country were selected to the AVCA All-America Third Team, 14 to the second team and 14 to the first team. Fifty-seven were also named Honorable Mention. A full list of the honorees can be found at avca.org.
Under 10th-year head coach Jesse Mahoney, Colorado finished the 2025 season 23-9 and went 12-6 against Big 12 opponents. Coach Mahoney has led the Buffs to a 164-135 record in his 10 seasons at the helm. The Buffs made their 22nd appearance in the NCAA tournament after the conclusion of the regular season, sweeping American in the first round before falling to four-seed Indiana in the second round. The Buffs’ last match against the Hoosiers marks the 12th second round appearance in program history. Colorado has 20 wins this season, marking the program’s 13th 20-win season and its first since 2022. With 23 wins this season, this is the most in a season since 2017 and ties for the third-most wins in a season in program history.
For more information on the Colorado volleyball team, please visit cubuffs.com/vb. Fans of the Buffs can follow @cubuffsvb on Instagram, X, and Facebook.
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced its annual All-American selections on Wednesday morning ahead of the NCAA Tournament semifinals with UNI’s Cassidy Hartman earning All-American Honorable Mention recognition.
The announcement marks the 17th All-American selection in program history and 16thin the Bobbi Petersen era (1997, 2001-pres.). A full list of UNI’s AVCA All-American can be found below.
The 2025 MVC Player of the Year and a First Team All-MVC selection, Hartman led the league with 4.64 kills per set, along with 2.74 digs per frame, 58 total blocks and 19 aces during her junior season. Starting all 32 matches during her junior season, Hartman recorded ten or more kills in 27 matches this season, as well as six matches with 20+ kills, including a career-high 26 terminations at Southern Illinois in the regular season.
She also posted 14 double-double outings. A three-time MVC Player of the Week this season and a member of the Capital Credit Union Classic All-Tournament Team back in September, Hartman earned AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention honors in 2024.
Hartman helped lead the Panthers to a 26-6 record overall, a 16-0 mark in MVC play and the program’s fourth consecutive MVC regular season and tournament titles, as well as a run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
UNI’S AVCA ALL-AMERICANS
- 1999 – Shannon Perry (3rd Team)
- 2002 – Molly O’Brien (3rd Team)
- 2009 – Ellie Blankenship (Honorable Mention)
- 2009 – Bre Payton (Honorable Mention)
- 2010 – Bre Payton (2nd Team)
- 2010 – Ellie Blankenship (3rd Team)
- 2010 – Michelle Burrow (Honorable Mention)
- 2011 – Bre Payton (2nd Team)
- 2011 – Krista DeGeest (Honorable Mention)
- 2013 – Shelby Kintzel (Honorable Mention)
- 2017 – Heather Hook (Honorable Mention)
- 2017 – Karlie Taylor (Honorable Mention)
- 2017 – Piper Thomas (Honorable Mention)
- 2018 – Piper Thomas (Honorable Mention)
- 2019 – Karlie Taylor (Honorable Mention)
- 2024 – Kira Fallert (Honorable Mention)
- 2025 – Cassidy Hartman (Honorable Mention)
UNI volleyball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Volleyball), X (@UNIVolleyball) and on Instagram (@univolleyball). The full 2025 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
Sports
Kentucky Volleyball Final Four Watch Party Set for Thursday at Drake’s Lansdowne – UK Athletics
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Big Blue Nation is invited to cheer on Kentucky Volleyball in the NCAA Final Four at the official watch party hosted at Drake’s Lansdowne, on Thursday, Dec. 18.
The Wildcats face Wisconsin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Texas A&M vs. Pitt match, which begins at 6:30 p.m. ET. Kentucky’s match is expected to start around 9 p.m. ET.
Fans at the Lansdowne location can enjoy UK Volleyball promotional items and giveaways, with tables available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Landsdowne Drakes is located at 3347 Tates Creek Road in Lexington,
Can’t make it to Lansdowne? All Drake’s locations in Kentucky will show the match, so you can find a spot near you to support the Wildcats.
Drake’s Kentucky Locations:
Lexington
- Lansdowne – 3347 Tates Creek Road
- Brannon Crossing – 390 E. Brannon Road, Nicholasville
- Hamburg – 1880 Pleasant Ridge Drive
- Leestown – 1735 Sharkey Way
Louisville
- Hurstbourne – 2651 S. Hurstbourne Parkway
- Outer Loop – 3501 Outer Loop
- Paddock Shops – 3921 Summit Plaza Drive
- St. Matthews – 3939 Shelbyville Road
Other Locations
- Elizabethtown – 151 The Loop
- Bowling Green – 3267 Ken Bale Blvd
- Owensboro – 3050 Highland Pointe Drive
- Florence – 6805 Houston Road
- Danville – 2596 South Danville Bypass
- Pikeville – 175 Lee Ave.
Join us and be part of the excitement as Kentucky Volleyball competes for a spot in the national championship match!
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