Sports
World Aquatics Reveals 2026–2027 Diving World Cup Hosts, Junior Championships in Croatia
The 2026 and 2027 World Aquatics Diving World Cup will feature three marquee events each year that culminate in the highly anticipated Super Final, as athletes showcase their skills and build momentum ahead of the World Aquatics Championships – Budapest 2027.
The World Aquatics Diving World Cup 2026 event schedule:
- Stop 1: Montreal, Canada – 26 February to 1 March 2026
- Stop 2: Guadalajara, Mexico – 5-8 March 2026
- Stop 3: Beijing, China – 1-3 May 2026 (Super Final event)
Image Source: Katelyn Fung and Kate Miller of Canada compete in the Women’s 10m Synchronised Final at the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025 (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
The 2026 World Aquatics Diving World Cup will kick off in Canada, with the opening leg moving northeast from last year’s host city of Windsor to Montreal. A renowned host of global sporting events — including the 1976 Olympic Games and the 2005 World Aquatics Championships — Montreal also holds a distinguished place in international diving, having previously hosted 14 World Aquatics Diving World Cup and Grand Prix events, as well as the World Junior Diving Championships in 2022. As a nation, Canada has a rich legacy in the sport, having welcomed 41 World Aquatics diving competitions to date.
Image Source: Matt Cullen of Canada diving to 2022 World Junior Diving Championship gold in the 10m Platform in Montreal (Antoine Saito/World Aquatics)
Quebec native Matt Cullen delivered a memorable moment for the host nation when he claimed gold in the Men’s 10m Platform (16–18 category) at the 2022 World Junior Diving Championships in Montreal. Looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup, Cullen says he “can’t wait” to see the world’s top divers return to Montreal’s Olympic Park Sports Centre — the iconic venue built for the 1976 Olympic Games that now serves as both a community aquatics hub and is one of Canada’s national high-performance diving facilities.
“Winning gold in Montreal at the Junior Worlds memory I’ll always carry with me,” said Matt Cullen. “That pool, that crowd—it was inspiring and electric. Knowing that the Diving World Cup is coming back here, and that the world’s best will get to experience the energy and history of this place, is something special. I can’t wait to see Montreal shine on the international stage again.”
Image Source: Osmar Olvera and Juan Manuel Celaya of Mexico compete in the Men’s Synchronized 3m Springboard Final at the 2025 World Aquatics Diving World Cup stop in Guadalajara, Mexico (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
One of the most talked-about World Cup stops on the 2025 World Aquatics calendar, Guadalajara will return as a host city for the 2026 edition of the series. The competition will once again take place at the Centre Acuático Code Metropolitano, Mexico’s national diving training hub located in Zapopan, within the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area in the state of Jalisco.
Mexico returned to the international aquatics stage in 2025 after a decade-long absence, having last hosted World Aquatics events in 2015 — including World Cups in diving, open water swimming, and high diving. Guadalajara itself has a storied diving legacy as the home training base for several of the country’s Olympic medallists, including Gabriela Agúndez, Paola Espinosa, Iván García, Álvaro Gaxiola, Alejandra Orozco, and Germán Sánchez.
Mexico’s significance as a host nation is evident in the 49 World Aquatics events it has staged to date — including 29 Diving World Cups and recognised international diving competitions. World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam highlighted this legacy in welcoming Guadalajara’s continued role in the global tour.
“With its history, scale, and sporting culture, Mexico plays a key role in the development of aquatic sports in the Americas,” said President Al Musallam. “Strengthening our presence across this important region is vital to our global mission, and we look forward to continuing our strong partnership with the Mexican aquatics community.”
Image Source: When you know, you know | Osmar Olvera Ibarra of Mexico reacts after a dive in the Men’s 3m Springboard Final at the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025 ( Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Leading a resurgent Mexican diving team is Osmar Olvera Ibarra, who recently claimed the world title in the Men’s 3m Springboard at the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025. The reigning world champion in the Men’s 1m Springboard, Olvera Ibarra also earned Olympic silver in Paris alongside Juan Manuel Celaya Hernández in the Men’s 3m Synchro.
“It’s a dream come true: to be a world champion in an Olympic event,” said Olvera Ibarra. “Bringing the Diving World Cup to Guadalajara is the ideal way to keep this momentum going and continue building on our country’s proud diving history. Hosting the World Cup is a testament to all the hard work behind our success. I welcome the world to compete in my backyard.”
Image Source: Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan of China dive to gold in the Women’s Synchronized 10m Final at the 2025 World Aquatics Diving World Cup Super Final at the Water Cube in Beijing, China (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
Synonymous with diving excellence, Beijing will once again host the Super Final of the World Aquatics Diving World Cup — the concluding stop of the 2026 series — at the iconic Water Cube. Officially known as the National Aquatics Centre, the venue is steeped in Olympic history, having witnessed record-breaking performances during the Beijing 2008 Games.
Beijing has long been a fixture on the global diving circuit, having hosted 11 editions of the World Aquatics Diving World Cup, two additional recognised diving events, and the 2008 Olympic diving competitions. The city’s commitment to aquatics continues, with World Aquatics recently announcing Beijing as the host of the World Aquatics Swimming Championships in 2026 and the World Aquatics Championships in 2029.
Reigning Olympic and world champion Chen Yiwen is among those looking forward to qualifying for the 2026 Super Final and performing in front of home fans in one of the sport’s most iconic venues.
Image Source: Chen Yiwen of China competes in the Women’s 3m Springboard at the 2025 World Aquatics Diving World Cup Super Final at the Water Cube in Beijing, China (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
“The Super Final is such a special moment in the season — it’s where all our hard work comes together,” said Chen Yiwen. “I’m incredibly proud that Beijing will host the 2026 and 2027 Super Finals. It’s always exciting to compete at home, and I know the city will create an amazing atmosphere. We’ll do everything we can to deliver a memorable performance for the fans.”
“For us athletes, the Super Final is where everything comes to a head — it’s the stage we’ve been working toward all year,” added the eight-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist in the Women’s 3m Individual and Synchro events from the Paris 2024 Games. “Competing in the Water Cube, with the crowd behind us, gives us extra motivation — but every diver wants to perform their best on that stage.
“The head-to-head format adds even more intensity — it pushes you to stay sharp, stay focused, and deliver your best dive under pressure,” added Chen. “This will again be a special moment for all of us.”
Image Source: Alejandra Estudillo Torres of Mexico competes in the Women’s 3m Springboard at the 2025 World Aquatics Diving World Cup Super Final in Beijing, China (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
The 2027 Diving World Cup will follow the 2026 script, with events taking place in Canada, Mexico and China. Montreal and Beijing are confirmed, with the city to hold the event in Mexico announced later.
The World Aquatics Diving World Cup 2027 event schedule:
- Stop 1: Montreal, Canada – 25-28 February 2027
- Stop 2: City Host TBD, Mexico – 4-7 March 2027
- Stop 3: Beijing, China – 30 April-2 May 2027 (Super Final event)
Image Source: Lucija Beretin from Croatia competes in the Girls 1m Springboard at the 2024 World Aquatics Junior Diving Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Wagner Meier/Getty Images)
The biennial World Aquatics Junior Diving Championships will return for its seventh edition in 2026, with Rijeka, Croatia set to host the event. From 21 to 28 August, the picturesque outdoor Kantrida Pool, located beside the Adriatic Sea, will welcome the world’s top junior divers. Athletes will compete in two age categories: 14–15 and 16–18 years old.
“We are honoured that Croatia has been chosen to host the 2026 World Aquatics Junior Diving Championships,” said World Aquatics Bureau Member Josip Varvodic. “Rijeka’s Kantrida Pool is one of the most scenic aquatic venues in Europe, and we are excited to welcome the world’s best young diving talent to our country. This event is an important opportunity to showcase Croatia’s passion for aquatic sports and our commitment to developing the next generation of divers – both in Croatia and internationally.”
Image Source: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
Alongside the main Diving World Cup series, World Aquatics will also soon announce the 2026 Diving Recognised Events calendar, offering both emerging elite and international diving stars additional opportunities to compete on the global stage.
These events provide valuable preparation and experience for divers aiming to excel on the world stage. For those interested in hosting a Diving Recognised Event in 2026, the application form is here.
Image Source: Bayleigh Cranford of the USA competes in the Women’s 10m Platform Semifinals at the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025 (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
World Aquatics Diving Technical Committee Chair Bashar Al-Saffar highlighted the importance of the upcoming two years for the global diving community.
“Over the past three years, there’s been real momentum in diving. In 2025, we introduced a new Super Final format with head-to-head matchups in individual events — a fresh concept that shows our community’s openness to innovation and change.
“The 2026 and 2027 World Aquatics Diving World Cup builds on this momentum, bringing top-level competition to three cities across the Americas and Asia,” said Al-Saffar. “This format helps connect athletes, fans, and national federations in exciting and meaningful ways.
“I’m also pleased that Rijeka, Croatia, will host the 2026 World Aquatics Junior Diving Championships — an important platform for developing talent and fostering the next generation of elite divers,” added Al-Saffar. “As we look ahead to the next World Aquatics Championships in Budapest and the LA 2028 Olympic Games, I’m excited to keep watching our sport and community grow.”
Editor’s Note: The World Aquatics Diving World Cup was formerly the FINA Diving World Series from 2007 to 2022. The World Aquatics Diving Recognised Events were formerly the FINA Diving Grand Prix from 1995 to 2022.
Sports
Purdue volleyball proves it can win in NIL era of college athletics
Dec. 14, 2025, 1:08 a.m. ET
- Purdue volleyball’s season ended in the Elite Eight after a loss to top-seeded Pitt.
- The team rebuilt its roster after losing four starters and 92.5% of its offense from the previous season.
- Despite significant roster turnover, the Boilermakers finished with a 27-7 record and reached their first regional final since 2021.
It was Dave Shondell’s three-word reply on social media that became the rallying cry for Purdue volleyball.
“We not dead,” Shondell posted March 28, a response to an account that claimed NIL had killed the Boilermaker volleyball program.
Purdue then spent 34 matches during the 2025 season backing up their coach’s belief.
It concluded Saturday night in Fitzgerald Field House against top-seeded and regional host Pitt, a 25-22, 25-21, 22-25, 25-17 winner, in the Elite Eight, the Panthers’ fifth straight Final Four appearance.
Before it ended, though, the Boilermakers made one thing perfectly clear: Purdue volleyball did not die.
After losing 92.5% of its offense from a season ago, including four potential starting players who transferred elsewhere, Purdue rebuilt its roster through the portal and with returnees stepping into larger roles.
The Boilermakers went 27-7, reaching their first regional final since 2021.
“I will never forget this year,” junior outside hitter Kenna Wollard, a first-team All-Big Ten selection and Midwest Region Player of the Year, said. “Everything we’ve gone through and everything we’ve accomplished has just been absolutely amazing.
“The girls that I played with this year were so, so special to me.”
Purdue will lose four players from its roster: Rachel Williams, Julia Kane, Lindsey Miller and Akasha Anderson, the latter two transfers who played just one season with the Boilermakers.
Shondell opened his post-match news conference following the team’s season-ending loss with a cautionary tale of current-age college athletics in its era of name, image and likeness, revenue sharing and mass transfers.
“It was a meaningful season for Purdue and a meaningful season, as I told our team, for college athletics,” Shondell said. “First of all, college athletics has changed. It’s not going to go backwards … I think teams and programs and administrations just have to recognize that when people do decide to leave, you wish them well and you go find more players.
“If your program truly is a positive program that develops athletes and provides great experiences, players will come into your program and you’ll be able to continue. I think that’s what we were able to do at Purdue.”

Purdue welcomed in five new faces via the portal: Anderson (Michigan State), Miller (USC), Bianka Lulić (Miami), Dior Charles (Wake Forest) and Nataly Moravec (Iowa). Purdue tied a program record with five All-Big Ten selections, which included All-Midwest Region honorees Grace Heaney, Taylor Anderson and Ryan McAleer, all returnees.
An offseason was spent as much on relationship building as much as skill development.
Purdue’s volleyball program didn’t die. It got better.
“When I got there in the spring, it felt like people just were a little broken, emotionally and mentally, and I feel like the entire team just used the entire spring, in the summer, in the fall, to just completely love each other with open arms,” Akasha Anderson said. “I think that’s just been shown on every single game that we’ve won, every single game that we’ve lost, this team just loves each other.
“If they keep that up, that’s just going to take them so far.”
Nathan Baird and Sam King have the best Purdue sports coverage, and sign up for IndyStar’s Boilermakers newsletter.
Sports
Creighton volleyball falls to Kentucky in Elite Eight
Creighton volleyball faced Kentucky in an Elite Eight match on Saturday afternoon.The energy was electric as the Jays prepared to take on the Wildcats.Creighton got on the board first.Norah Wurtz broke Molly Morgan’s single-season Creighton ace record that was set in 2000.The Bluejays fell 25-19 in set 1.Kentucky got on the board first in the second set, going on a 4-0 run.The Wildcats were outhitting the Bluejays in set 2 as Kentucky led 10-3.Creighton fell in set 2, 25-13.The Bluejays got on the board first in set 3.An incredible rally ended with a Creighton point thanks to Kiara Reinhardt.Things were close with multiple ties in set 3.A kill from Brooklyn DeLeye gave Kentucky the sweep, ending Creighton’s season. Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
Creighton volleyball faced Kentucky in an Elite Eight match on Saturday afternoon.
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The energy was electric as the Jays prepared to take on the Wildcats.
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Creighton got on the board first.
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Norah Wurtz broke Molly Morgan’s single-season Creighton ace record that was set in 2000.
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The Bluejays fell 25-19 in set 1.
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Kentucky got on the board first in the second set, going on a 4-0 run.
The Wildcats were outhitting the Bluejays in set 2 as Kentucky led 10-3.
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Creighton fell in set 2, 25-13.
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The Bluejays got on the board first in set 3.
An incredible rally ended with a Creighton point thanks to Kiara Reinhardt.
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Things were close with multiple ties in set 3.
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A kill from Brooklyn DeLeye gave Kentucky the sweep, ending Creighton’s season.
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Sports
Nebraska Volleyball ready for NCAA Regional Final versus Texas A&M
LINCOLN, Neb. (Nebraska Athletics) – The top-ranked Nebraska volleyball team hosts an NCAA Regional Final for the third straight year at John Cook Arena at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Sunday. No. 1 Nebraska will face No. 6 Texas A&M at 2 p.m. on ABC.
ABOUT THE HUSKERS
• Nebraska (33-0) finished the regular season unbeaten for the third time in school history (1994 and 2000), dropping only seven sets overall and one in Big Ten play.
• Nebraska’s 33 straight wins is the second-longest win streak in school history in the NCAA era. The Huskers have won at least 33 matches in three straight seasons.
• The Huskers also hold a nation-leading home court win streak of 63 matches, tied for the second-longest home win streak in program history. Nebraska has won 29 consecutive NCAA Tournament matches played in the Devaney Center, a school record.
• The Huskers won their third straight Big Ten title with a perfect 20-0 record in conference play. It was the Huskers’ first unbeaten conference season since 2004 in the Big 12.
• Nebraska has now won 37 conference titles all-time, including six in the Big Ten (2011, 2016, 2017, 2023, 2024, 2025).
• The Huskers have won three straight conference titles for the first time since 2004-08.
• Dani Busboom Kelly became the first volleyball coach in Big Ten history to win the conference title in their first year as head coach at the school. John Cook won a Big Ten title at Nebraska in his first year in the conference in 2011, but it was his 12th season as head coach at Nebraska at the time.
• Nebraska has hit over .400 nine times this season, a school record in the rally-scoring era.
• Nebraska is 95-0 this season in sets when reaching the red zone (20 points) first.
• The Huskers have won 48 consecutive sets at home, tied for the second-longest streak in school history, trailing only the 52 consecutive home sets won spanning the 2001-02 seasons.
• NU’s offense ranks first nationally with a .355 hitting percentage. The Huskers haven’t hit better than .300 in a season since 2007 (.327). The school record for hitting percentage in a season is .331 in 1986.
• The Huskers rank first nationally in opponent hitting percentage at .121. NU led the nation in opponent hitting percentage in 2022 and 2023 and was sixth in 2024.
• The gap between Nebraska’s hitting percentage and opponent hitting percentage is .234, by far the best in the nation. The next closest are American (.149), Pittsburgh (.145) and Wisconsin (.144).
• Nebraska ranks fourth nationally in kills per set at 14.69.
• The Huskers are seventh nationally in assists per set at 13.47.
• Nebraska ranks 16th nationally with 2.74 blocks per set.
• Over the last five seasons (2021-25), Dani Busboom Kelly has a 153-15 record for a .911 winning percentage, which is the best by any Division I head coach in that span.
• Nebraska is 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 played 24 sets in the month of October and went 24-0. In only two sets did an opponent reach 20 points (at Purdue – 23 in set one, and at Michigan State – 20 in set three).
• Nebraska swept 15 matches in a row and won 48 sets in a row from late September through mid-November. Both were the longest such streaks since the 2007 team swept 17 matches in a row and won 53 sets in a row.
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Sports
Pitt Advances to Fifth-Straight NCAA Volleyball Semifinal
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – No. 1-seeded Pitt defeated Purdue in four sets on Saturday night to advance to its fifth straight NCAA Volleyball Championship Semifinal.
ACC Player of the Year Olivia Babcock was named the Pittsburgh Regional Tournament MVP for the third straight season after recording 42 kills, 12 digs and five blocks in wins over Minnesota and the Boilermakers.
Babcock joined teammates Marina Pezelj and Brooke Mosher on the 2025 Pittsburgh Regional All-Tournament team. In tonight’s win, Pezelj registered a double-double with a career-high 14 kills and 12 digs, while Mosher totaled 47 assists, four kills and four blocks.
The Panthers will take on the winner of Nebraska and Texas A&M at 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 18, at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
NCAA Volleyball Championship Results
NCAA Tournament – First and Second Rounds
Thursday, December 4
#8 UCLA 3, Georgia Tech 2
#5 Miami 3, Tulsa 1
North Carolina 3, #6 UTEP 1
Friday, December 5
#1 Pitt 3, UMBC 0
#2 Louisville 3, Loyola Chicago 0
#4 Kansas 3, #5 Miami 1
#2 SMU 3, Central Arkansas 0
#3 Wisconsin 3, North Carolina 0
#2 Stanford 3, Utah Valley 1
Saturday, December 6
#2 Louisville 3, Marquette 2
#1 Pitt 3, Michigan 0
#2 SMU 3, Florida 0
#2 Stanford 3, Arizona 1
Thursday, December 11 – Regional
#1 Pitt 3, #4 Minnesota 0
#3 Purdue 3, #2 SMU 1
Friday, December 12 – Regional
#3 Wisconsin 3, #2 Stanford 1
#3 Texas A&M 3, #2 Louisville 2
Saturday, December 13 – Regional Final
#1 Pitt 3, #3 Purdue 1
Sports
Volleyball Ends Season With Elite Eight Loss
With its 26th consecutive win, Kentucky (29-2) will play the winner of tomorrow evening’s winner between No. 3 Texas and No. 10 Wisconsin in Austin, Texas. That national semifinal will take place on Thursday night in Kansas City, Mo. Creighton ends Brian Rosen‘s first season at the helm with a 28-6 record after tasting defeat for the first time since Sept. 16
Creighton and Kentucky were tied at 14-all in the first set before Kentucky pulled away with a 5-0 run and ended up taking a 25-19 decision. UK All-Americans Brooklyn DeLeye and Eva Hudson both had six kills as UK had 17 kills to CU’s nine. Nora Wurtz had three aces in the frame, setting CU’s single-season school record of 59 set by Molly Moran in 2000.
The second set was all UK, as the hosts raced to leads of 7-1 and 12-4 and never trailed in a 25-13 victory to move in front 2-0. DeLeye had seven kills and the Wildcats hit .289 while holding CU to .000 hitting in 43 swings.
The third set featured seven ties and three lead changes before UK closed out the sweep with a 25-18 win.
DeLeye paced the Wildcats with 18 kills and added 12 digs, while Hudson had a double-double with 13 kills and 15 digs. The Wildcats had 47 kills, 62 digs, eight blcoks and two aces on .263 hitting.
Martin and Johnson led Creighton with eight kills and Annalea Maeder had her fourth straight double-double with 26 assists and 13 digs. Creighton hit .066 and had 29 kills, 47 digs, nine blocks and three aces.
The match marked the final contest for Bluejay seniors Ava Martin, Kiara Reinhardt, Annalea Maeder and Sky McCune.
NOTES: Creighton’s Ava Martin and Sydney Breissinger were named to the Lexington Regional All-Tournament Team … Creighton had its 23-match win streak snapped, which was tied for the second-longest in program history … Kentucky has won 22 straight matches at home … Creighton’s nine-match win streak in true road matches was snapped, which tied a school-record … Creighton fell to 0-14 all-time against teams ranked first or second … Creighton is now 20-15 all-time in 15 NCAA Tournament appearances … Creighton had been trying to become the first school without football to make the Volleyball Final Four since Santa Clara in 2005 … Five of Creighton’s losses this season came to teams ranked in the top-five at the time of the match (#1 Nebraska, #2 Penn State, #2 Kentucky, #4 Louisville, #5 Texas). … Ava Martin tied Jaali Winters (595.5 in 2015) for most points in a single-season in Creighton history … Each of Creighton’s last 27 matches have been won by the team to win the first set.
Below is the NCAA VB Lexington Regional All-Tournament Team as voted by media present at the event.
Brooklyn DeLeye – Kentucky* (*Most Outstanding Player)
Ava Martin – Creighton
Sydney Breissinger – Creighton
Molly Tuozzo – Kentucky
Lizzie Carr – Kentucky
Eva Hudson – Kentucky
Noemie Glover – Arizona State
Kentucky Postgame Quotes
Kentucky Head Coach Craig Skinner
Opening Statement…
“I’m just really proud of our team and the performance that they had this weekend was impressive, and we asked our team to be relentless and we were relentless all evening and you can’t thank our players for giving themselves to this team and this program enough. They have done it all year long and can’t thank our administration enough for giving us the resources to build a special program. So, it takes a collective effort, a lot of people to get to this point and want our players to build and experience a Final Four, which we’ve got that chance to do. It’s awesome. But our job isn’t finished and we’ve got to get ready to play some good volleyball in Kansas City, so magical season needs to continue.”
On what it means to coach in Memorial Coliseum for the tournament…
“A lot, magical stuff. It’s just it’s hard to do. It takes a collective effort and administrators, coaches, people, players, staff, managers, all of that. I’ve been there before, done it, and obviously I can’t wait to do it again, but I just want our players to be able to feel what it’s like to be at that level, because it’s a really cool experience, and I don’t worry about the effort we’re going to give on Thursday night, so I just I want to make sure we can enjoy the opportunity and anything happens in the Final Four.”
On the crowd …
“It’s a dream to do that, and it’s hard to convince people by just saying it and talking about it and I just felt like I had to do something that would get the attention to people that don’t pay attention to volleyball. And so now that they’ve come, they’re hooked, and they’re gonna be hooked for a while, it just is an exciting brand of sports and, you know, a rising tide lifts all boats, and the more we can do for the University of Kentucky, and the other teams in this department, it makes us all better. We can’t do that without the help of administration to see the value in volleyball.”
On the effort the entire team puts into defense…
“One hundred percent. To hold a team like that to .066 is a lot to do with your defense, and you know, it’s a mentality. We have to establish a defensive mentality in practice. We hammer balls at them all the time, they’re flying all over the gym, making plays. We have a couple rules, we’ll reason why you don’t go for the ball; that would be out of bounds, hear the whistle, or some sort of danger is in the way. Outside of that, you better go for the ball. But it’s just, you have to set that in practice, and we’ve spent a lot of time this year, just hammering that into our team, and it’s, man, it’s fun to watch, too.”
On what Eva Hudson has contributed to the team this year…
“Yeah, I just thank Eva for giving Kentucky a chance the third time, twice striking out to get her here and I think she saw something in this program that could bring something out of her. But I think everybody in the stand sees the level of competitor that she is, and there is zero that will fear her in the eyes of competition. It’s fun to be a part of people like that, and when you have people like these two at the table and others that are just competitors every single day, they’re going to win in life and Eva is, there’s no doubt about that. She’s going to win in life because she’s relentless in what she does, and I think people want to watch her play all the time.”
Kentucky Student-Athletes
#7 Eva Hudson, OH
On her last game in HMC …
“I mean it was absolutely magical. Every time they exceed expectations our whole team has for them. There was a time there at the end when I just looked around when it got really chaotic and it was a really cool experience and I just can’t thank them enough for an amazing year.”
On the team’s defense …
“Craig asked us to be relentless all evening. That sort of defense is so frustrating, one of your best shots and it being dug up. That was our mindset every time.”
On flipping the switch to another level in the second half …
“In the first, especially the first few points of the first set it was hard to find the rhythm with a game with so much pressure and a lot of high expectations, but I think in the second and third, we really found groove, our flow state, and we just capitalized on it.”
#17 Brooklyn DeLeye
On the team’s defense …
“Also props to the staff, I mean they really had a good game plan going into the match and I think we just executed that at a high level. Even if Creighton was making changes throughout the match, they were still telling us every single time we were at the net what to do.”
On Trinity’s play …
“You know she’s just one of the hardest workers out there, and I know when she got her shot to come in to serve she was going to make the most out of it. So, I mean, just props to her and just the person she is, because she was just a huge momentum shift whether that was her serving or just her presence out there, she will be your biggest hype man.”
Creighton Postgame Quotes
Creighton Head Coach Brian Rosen
On Kentucky’s serving…
“I thought our service did a nice shot. We had them under a 2 for most of the match. So I thought we did a decent job there. They shot well, their outsides were obviously really good, and even when we defended some of the balls, we just couldn’t find a way to win some of those long rallies. I just thought their defense tonight was the difference. They were an arm and ball back up. We ended up with nine blocks. I thought we could have had 18 tonight. They covered so well, just kept plays alive long enough for their outsides to terminate eventually. And so again, I just I give them a lot of credit for that. We fought as long as we could and just couldn’t find those stretches late in the first and the third when I thought we had chances.”
On Ava and Kiara …
“They’re like the two people that I knew the most and met when I took this job as an assistant a long time ago. Ava played on the same club team as a player I had just committed at a previous stop. I was the head coach at Nova Southeastern University before I got here, and committed a kid named Taylor Stockman to that program, and Ava was on the same team. And so I knew her really well when I came here, and then Kiara was the only athlete that I met when I was on my visit. They are just two really special individuals, getting Kiara to come back for the sixth year, allowed us to have the run that we had, her play is really, really good, and I think she’s one of the best middles in the country. But what she does beyond that is so much more important to our program. She’s the best leader, and the best teammate and does everything the right way, and then she jokes about being the team mom, and she really is. Even in her six years, making sure everyone has the right jerseys and spandex and all those kinds of things, but also brings so much joy. And Ava, the way she plays and competes is a pleasure to watch. I mean, sometimes in practices and film, the amount of times like my mouth drops watching her play is just remarkable. This is her last college game. I’m excited that she was able to go on this run, excited to watch her play at the next level. She’s earned this opportunity to play in the pro leagues and have a great career. She’s just special good and always shows up in the big moments and the two of them, the mark that they’ve left on our program, I know Kiara will be the winningest player to ever play at Creighton and it’s going to be hard for anyone to beat that. Ava, I believe, like just set the postseason record for kills. She’ll finish top three in her career and maybe cement herself as the best player to ever play at Creighton, and we have a pretty good list of players so it says a lot about who she is.”
On crowd atmosphere…
“I think volleyball has been booming for years now. It started with the woman behind you. I see Kathy DeBoer back there, putting volleyball on her back and trying to grow it as much as she could. When I was at Nova, she called me to start a beach team once. It’s grown and grown and grown since I started getting into it and starting watching it, and so I love that moments like this are now on ESPN. We got to get the first and second rounds on ESPN too. So I love that it’s on TV more. I know tonight there was a Kentucky men’s basketball game I heard down the street and still sold this place out tonight, which says a lot about a place that I know at one point was a basketball school. Maybe they’re a volleyball school now. We like to joke that we’re volleyball school too. And so I think so many fans and communities are seeing like how special this sport is. I think it’s the most spectator friendly sport there is. It’s so fast paced, it’s so athletic, it’s physical, it’s gritty, it’s fun. And so I’m just so grateful that all these fans are getting to see this in person, and people are able to see it at home, and I hope even though it didn’t go the way we wanted, I hope the match was fun for viewers to see, and they come back and watch more next time.”
On the message to the team in the locker room after the loss…
“I love them. I said that before but just that I love them. I’m so grateful to them. Again, back in April, when Coach Booth stepped down, every single one of them could have left. You know, even (Ava) Martin could have got a lot of money to go to a lot of places and chose to stay here and fight and wear that Creighton blue. And Kiara could have said, you know, never mind on the sixth year, but all of them stayed committed to represent Creighton, to play for me and for this staff. And so the biggest thing I told them was that I love them and how grateful I am to them for not just sticking with me, but showing up every day and fighting like crazy, not just for me, but for the people next to them. And, you know, the two things that I talked about in my first press conference was I’m gonna fight to keep the culture, and we’re gonna keep the same goals of going to a final four. These two and everyone else in that locker room are our culture. And they did everything they could to protect it this season. And obviously, we fell a few sets short of going to a final four this year, but I’m so proud of the fight they had. I don’t know how many people anywhere put us in an elite eight this season with losing 4 all Americans and all the things we did. But I know they did. And so just grateful for them and for all they did this season for our Creighton community.”
Creighton Student-Athletes
#8 Ava Martin, OH
On making adjustments…
“It’s always frustrating when things aren’t going your way. Their swings, I feel like they would just have little things that nothing really seemed to go our way. It happens, and I think it stinks and obviously we’re trying to make adjustments throughout the game, but our main goal was just to keep going for it.”
On playing for Creighton’s and what it means to her…
“I just have so much love for Creighton volleyball. Oh, I mean, even with Booth leaving I think all of us had it down our mind that we would stay just because of what we have here, and culture is so special and so amazing, and even the people that transfer in, they really let us know how lucky we are to have what we do. And our big thing is playing with joy, and I really hope other people can do that because we just have so much fun out there playing together, and that’s what we really want to show. We’ve had a good time and we love each other, and we want other people be able to see that as well. I think that’s just what makes us so hard is because we just love each other so much and we love the sport and volleyball and we’re just happy to be out there playing. Obviously we have big goals, final four and all those things, so that stinks, but I think one of the main things is just, you know, our time, together being done. It’s just really hard. And I’m just so thankful for Creighton. It’s just had very special place.”
On the program moving forward…
“It’s something we talk about every year. Obviously, it stings, and I wish we had another chance to get it back. The team next year is going to want to keep working for that too. I think it’s just an expectation here at Creighton now, to keep building off that and keep getting better. And yeah, obviously this hurts, but they’re going to get back in the gym this offseason and they’re going to continue to keep working toward that goal.”
#5 Kiara Reinhardt, MB
On Creighton’s play tonight…
“I mean I thought our serve receive was pretty strong all throughout the match. We were in system a lot and our defense, especially in the third set, we were scrapping, unfortunately, offensively. I think we weren’t where we wanted to be tonight. Again, cuddos to Kentucky’s defense they did great. I think defense and serve receive we were really good at tonight. I think there were, especially those small hard tough rallies that were just kind of a lot of junk kind of being thrown around. I mean, we were in a lot of those, and there were so many of them tonight, I feel like. So, I hope those showed a little bit of good tonight.”
On going through the last postseason run and showing the new players the ropes…
“It’s been a joy. I’ll remember you all, especially since you’re seniors just below me. I’m so thankful for the time I got to spend here. A lot of people said, ‘Wow, you really got them all, you’re so lucky,’ and it truly has been an honor and a privilege. They’ve kept me young and they’ve kept me laughing, and honestly, I got a lot more out of this than I expected by coming back for another year. It was really special to be able to connect with some of the younger girls I hadn’t spent much time with before, and to get to know them better. They’re such a sweet and special group, and I’m really so grateful.”
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