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Darling Assembles Demanding Schedule to Test Golden Knights in 2025

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ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon volleyball team has reached the Elite Eight three of the last four years under long-time head coach Matt Darling. The Golden Knights have enjoyed incredible success under Darling, with 432 wins in his 18 seasons at the helm.

Darling has never been shied away from playing a demanding schedule and that is certainly the case in 2025. He has announced Gannon’s 2025 schedule, and it is one of the most challenging in many years.

Despite losing four AVCA honorable mention All-Americans from last year’s squad that finished 26-8 and reached the Elite Eight, Darling’s squad will play a total of 13 matches against NCAA playoff teams from a year ago, including defending national champion Lynn. The Golden Knights will play teams from four different conferences in addition to their PSAC foes, including four conference champions.   

“We will find challenges at every part of this year’s schedule, starting in the pre-conference portion of the schedule, where we have a match against the defending national champions and matches against two other sweet sixteen teams,” Darling pointed out.  “Once we hit PSAC play, we expect to be in a real fight for the postseason.  At least five or six PSAC West teams, I think, will have a legitimate chance to win it this year, so there will be a fight for the four playoff spots.  Hopefully we’ll be up to these challenges.”

Gannon jumps right into the fire to start a brutal non-conference portion of the schedule the very first weekend, playing four matches in the New York City area in two days. The season gets underway with a duel against the 2024 national champions on Friday, September 5, with Gannon meeting Lynn at Adelphi in Garden City, NY. The Sunshine State Conference champions won the South Regional then went on to defeat Wingate, Bentley, and finally San Francisco State in the national championship match. The Fighting Knights enter the season riding a 12-match winning streak and were 33-3 a year ago.

Later that same day Gannon will face host Adelphi, another NCAA postseason squad. The Panthers reached the Northeast-10 semifinals before falling in the East Regional semifinals to finish at 23-11.

On Saturday, September 6 the Golden Knights move on to Rockville Centre, N.Y., the home of Molloy, to face the host Lions and Assumption. Molloy, members of the East Coast Conference, was 14-12 a year ago. The four-game ends against a second NE-10 team in Assumption (8-17).

The following weekend the Golden Knights will head to the Midwest for three matches in the Hampton Inn & Suites Grand Rapids Downtown Classic. On Friday, September 12 Gannon plays a pair of Great Midwest Athletic Conference squads. Play begins with a 10:00 a.m. match vs. Findlay. The Oilers were 24-9 a year ago, winning the G-MAC championship before falling to Ferris State in the Midwest Regional championship.

At 4:00 p.m. on Friday Gannon faces Tiffin (13-14). On Saturday, September 13 the Golden Knights meet host Davenport (10-19) at 3:00 p.m.

Gannon plays in its third tournament in three weeks on September 18-20, and this one could have huge regional implications. The Golden Knights will compete against four Mountain East Conference teams, the first two in the Wheeling Invitational and the second pair in the West Liberty Invitational.    

In a rematch of last year’s Atlantic Regional championship match, Gannon plays at Wheeling on Thursday, September 18. The Cardinals finished as the MEC runner-up after losing to West Virginia State in the championship match. They advanced to the Atlantic Regional final before losing to Gannon in four games with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line.

On Friday, September 19 the Golden Knights return to Wheeling to face Fairmont State (18-14).

Gannon makes the short trip to West Liberty for a pair of matches on Saturday, September 20. The day gets underway at 1:00 p.m. against MEC champion West Virginia State. The Yellow Jackets finished at 24-10 last year, defeating Clarion in the opening round of the Atlantic Regional before falling to Gannon in three games in the semifinals.

Gannon concludes the three-day sojourn to West Virginia with a 6:00 p.m. match at West Liberty. The Hilltoppers were 15-15 a year ago, including a three-game sweep of the Golden Knights.

After 11 straight matches on the road and against non-PSAC competition to begin the season the Golden Knights finally meet a team from the PSAC. This one will be a non-conference affair as well, with 2024 Eastern Division regular season champion Shepherd visiting the Highmark Events Center on Friday, September 26 for Parents’ Night. The home opener will be the first time the Golden Knights have played at the Highmark Events Center since December 1, 2023.

The Rams finished at 24-6 last year, finishing as the PSAC runner-up and earning a berth in the Atlantic Regional.  They would lose to Indiana (Pa.) in the quarterfinals.

The Shepherd match is the first of five straight contests at the Highmark Events Center. After hosting local rival Edinboro (14-13) in the Western Division opener on Sunday, September 28, Gannon’s next four matches are against teams that made the NCAA Tournament.

Gannon hosts PSAC champion Indiana (Pa.) on Friday, October 3 in a rematch of the PSAC Championship. The Crimson Hawks defeated Gannon in four games before reaching the Atlantic Regional semifinals and losing to Wheeling. IUP ended the year at 24-9.

A day later Pitt-Johnstown (19-10), another Atlantic Regional entrant, plays at Gannon. The Golden Knights will play their third NCAA Tournament team in five days with a non-conference match vs. Daemen on Tuesday, October 7. The Wildcats, members of the ECC, finished at 17-9 and played in the East Regional.

Gannon hits the highways for a pair of PSAC West contests on October 10 and 11. The Golden Knights renew their rivalry with Clarion (15-12) on Friday night, marking the fourth straight match against an NCAA Tournament squad. On Saturday Gannon plays at Slippery Rock (12-14).

The following weekend Gannon hosts California (Pa.) (3-20) on Friday, October 17 and Seton Hill on Saturday, October 18. The Griffins finished at 19-9 after losing to Gannon in the PSAC quarterfinals.

The Seton Hill match marks the end of the first half of divisional play. The second half begins with the second meeting against Edinboro on Friday, October 24. That’s followed by the final non-conference match of the season as Cedarville (14-11) visits the Highmark Events Center on Saturday, October 25. Cedarville is a member of the G-MAC. 

The second half features four straight away matches before the regular season concludes with back-to-back home games. Darling’s squad ends the regular season with Senior Day festivities on Saturday, November 15 with Clarion providing the opposition.

The PSAC Tournament gets underway on Tuesday, November 18 with the quarterfinals. The Final Four is set for Friday, November 21 and Saturday, November 22 and will be hosted by the highest remaining Eastern Division seed.

Gannon will hope to secure a 16th straight NCAA Tournament berth, with the Atlantic Regional scheduled for December 4-6. The NCAA Elite Eight is set for December 11-13. For the second straight year the Elite Eight will be held in Sioux Falls, SD.



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Creighton vs. Kentucky volleyball: Elite Eight scores, highlights

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December 13, 2025

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Updated Dec. 13, 2025, 6:02 p.m. ET



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A reverse-sweep comeback over Louisville pushes Texas A&M volleyball to third-ever Elite Eight

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December 13, 2025

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(KBTX) – In the middle of the third set of Friday’s NCAA Tournament region semifinal volleyball match, Texas A&M opposite hitter Logan Lednicky glanced at a random piece of paper in the middle of the score’s table.

After being the first team to 15 points in both of the first two sets, the third-seeded Aggies’ allowed No. 2 seed Louisville to rally and set up a three-game sweep. The Aggies needed a rare reverse sweep to keep their season alive. They were looking for an answer to the situation they found themselves in.

Sometimes the sign is literally a sign.

“Something great is about to happen,” the piece of paper read.

Three sets later, the Aggies were celebrating on the court of the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Nebraska, having rallied to beat Louisville 3-2 in a five set thriller. It was A&M’s first reverse sweep since September 29 of last year, when the Aggies’ came from behind to beat Missouri in Reed Arena.

“I’m like floating on air,” Lednicky said after the match. “That was the most insane experience I have ever been a part of.”

From the start, A&M appeared to be in control of the match, jumping out to a 17-12 lead. However, after A&M reached 15 points, Louisville did not commit another error in the set. The Cardinals closed out the set on a 6-3 run to take the first game.

History repeated itself in the second set. A&M pulled out to a 21-16 lead, but allowed a 5-0 Cardinal run to tie the game. An 8-0 run ultimately sealed the 2-0 start for Louisville and put the Aggies’ season in jeopardy.

It wasn’t unfamiliar territory for the Aggies. Not only did A&M travel to Nebraska last season for the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament, they fell behind 2-1 to Wisconsin and needed to push the game to a fifth set to try to advance. That effort fell short in the final game, 15-13, ending the Aggies season.

The story of this season wouldn’t end the same way.

“I think we spent a lot of time under tension,” Aggie middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla said. “I think that was something we all said when we were in that fifth set, just knowing that we had been here before. We played here before. We’ve been in this exact situation before and it’s really just on us to turn it around and capitalize.”

The Aggie block leader was key at the net in the match turn-around. A&M finished the match with 17 blocks, 12 of which came from Cos-Okpalla. The Aggies had nine blocks in the fourth set, seven off the hands of Cos-Okpalla.

The senior finished with nine kills, to go along with her blocking effort and a .316 hit percentage.

“Even when I wasn’t getting blocked or good touches, I think I was in a good enough spot to like funnel out space for the defense to work behind me,” Cos-Okpalla said. “We can just run our offense from there. So yeah, it takes everybody on the team honestly, but, yeah, I’m just so proud.”

The fifth set saw nine ties and three lead changes in a back-and-forth struggle for the next line of the bracket. The Aggies needed a 3-0 run through the middle of the set to take a 10-9 lead, thanks to two Louisville errors and a block by Cos-Okpalla and Lednicky. Then, the Aggies closed the match out on a 5-2 run with outside hitter Kyndal Stowers recording the final kill.

Lednicky paced the Aggies with 20 kills and added 12 digs and seven blocks. Stowers had 17 kills and 11 digs.

Louisville’s Chloe Chicoine led all attackers with 26 kills.

A&M hit at a .277 clip, slightly better than Louisville’s .229.

The Aggies advance to the program’s third-ever regional final and will face the No. 1 overall seed Nebraska on its home court Sunday at 2 p.m. The Cornhuskers took down No. 4 seed Kansas 3-0 in a match directly following A&M’s win.

In the meantime, A&M can take a moment to relish in the program they’ve builtin the three years of the Morrison era.

“My No. 1 thing that I said when I first got here was to get it back to where its was and take it further and we have it back to where it was… Now, it’s time, in two days, to take it further,” Morrison said.

Copyright 2025 KBTX. All rights reserved.



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Gonzaga Volleyball signs Lydia Fisher

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December 13, 2025

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SPOKANE, Wash- Gonzaga Volleyball continues to build for the future with the addition of another signee for next season, as head coach JT Wenger announced the signing of Lydia Fisher on Thursday night. 

Coming to Spokane after completing her high school career her hometown of Dallas, Lydia has starred for Highland Park High School as middle blocker and right side hitter. She was named to the First Team All-District while representing the Scots. Fisher helped the team to a capture a state championship last month, as Highland Park won the 5A State Championship. A 6’5″ blocker, Fisher will help further establish the net front presence for the Zags when she comes to campus next season. 



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Badgers news: Wisconsin back in Elite 8 with big win over Stanford

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December 13, 2025

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The Wisconsin Badgers are back in the Elite 8. The Badgers faced off against the No. 2 Stanford Cardinal on Friday afternoon, winning 3-1 to face the No. 1-seeded Texas Longhorns in the Elite Eight on Sunday.

Mimi Colyer had one of her best games as a Badger, recording 27 kills on 51 attempts with just eight errors. Carter Booth had 14 kills of her own with zero errors, while Una Vagajic had 13 kills as well. The Badgers had 70 kills as a whole, while Charlie Fuerbringer had 61 assists.

Wisconsin started off the first set well, getting off to an early 7-3 lead as Colyer and Booth each recorded a pair of kills. Things got tight, with Stanford cutting the lead to 10-9, but Wisconsin went on a 5-0 run to separate itself, with Colyer recording two more kills in the stretch.

From there, Wisconsin comfortably led the rest of the way, ultimately taking the first set 25-17. From there, though, things got tight.

The second set was back-and-forth to start, as neither side had more than a two-point lead through the midway point in the set. Stanford began to pull away, though, going on a 4-1 run when leading 15-14 to get a four-point lead late in the set. That proved to be the difference, as the Cardinal extended that lead to 22-16 before ultimately taking the set 25-21.

Tied at 1-1, the Badgers had a great response coming into the third set, starting off with a 5-2 lead. Stanford hit Wisconsin back, though, tying things up at seven apiece, and the back-and-forth action continued from there. Once again, neither side had more than a two-point advantage until Stanford took a 17-14 lead off back-to-back kills from Ella Rubin.

It seemed like the momentum might be turning in Stanford’s favor, but Wisconsin stormed back with a four-point run to take an 18-17 lead as Natalie Wardlow had three consecutive service aces. Both sides traded points over the next few rallies, tying things up back again at 21 apiece.

The two biggest points of the set came next. Kristen Simon had a service ace of her own before Mimi Colyer got a kill to put Wisconsin up 23-21. Jordyn Harvey got a kill for Stanford, which Carter Booth responded to with a kill of her own. 24-22. Grace Egan had an attack error to cut the lead to one, but rebounded with the set-clinching kill and Wisconsin took the third set 25-23 for a 2-1 lead in the match.

Once again, Wisconsin started the fourth set well, getting out to a 7-3 lead thanks to a flurry of Stanford mistakes. The Cardinal had two service errors and three attack errors in the first ten points, and the Badgers capitalized. But, Stanford slowly chipped back at the lead and flipped the script, taking a 13-12 lead midway through the set.

After both sides traded a point, Wisconsin went on a three-point run to take a 16-14 lead. That stretch proved to be the difference-maker as the Badgers never trailed from that point on. Stanford did tie things up at 19 apiece, but the Badgers had another three-point run. Then, after the Cardinal brought it back within one at 23-22, Mimi Colyer and Grace Egan delivered the final blows to send Wisconsin to the Elite Eight.

With the 3-1 win, the Badgers are facing the No. 1-seeded Texas Longhorns, who swept the No. 4 Indiana Hoosiers on Friday. That game will be played in Austin on Sunday.



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

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December 13, 2025

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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

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December 13, 2025

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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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