Sports

No. 19 UCLA Edges Long Beach State 3-2

Published

4 months ago

September 2, 2025

LONG BEACH, Calif. — No. 19 UCLA outlasted Long Beach State in five sets Monday night at the Walter Pyramid, edging the Beach 3-2.

Long Beach State used a balanced attack and a key serving run to take the first set 25-18. The Beach pulled ahead midway through on back-to-back aces from Izzy Mahaffey, stretching a 9-9 tie into a five-point cushion. Logan King and Anabel Kotzakov combined for multiple kills in the rally, while Rhiann Sheffie added a block that kept UCLA off balance.

UCLA (1-0) stayed close early behind kills from Brooklyn Briscoe and Cheridyn Leverette, and setter Kate Duffey tied it at 6 with an ace. But the Bruins could not recover after Mahaffey’s serving run, committing five service errors, and struggling in serve-receive. King finished the frame with several key swings, including the kill that put Long Beach State ahead 23-15. Kotzakov closed it out on a set from Madi Maxwell for the 25-18 win.

UCLA rallied in the second set, pulling away late for a 25-18 victory to even the match. The Bruins trailed 14-11 after Kotzakov and King sparked a Beach push but answered with a 7-1 run. Briscoe and Maggie Li chipped in kills, while Anastasija Ivkovic and Marianna Singletary combined on a block. Leverette’s serve fueled the stretch, including a block assist with Briscoe that tied it at 14.

The Bruins closed strong behind LBSU transfer Zayna Meyer, who distributed critical assists, and Kat Lutz, who delivered late kills and blocks. Singletary finished the set with a kill from Meyer. UCLA’s front line dictated the frame, recording multiple blocks during the decisive run and forcing Long Beach State into attack errors.

The Bruins grabbed the third set 25-23. They stormed out to a 4-0 lead behind two early kills from Leverette and a strike from Li, forcing a Beach timeout. Long Beach State responded with back-to-back aces from Elise Agi and a pair of kills from King to tie it at 5.

UCLA regained control when Li and Leverette fueled a run, capped by a Meyer-Singletary block for a 13-8 edge. The Beach chipped away behind Agi, King, and Nieko Thomas, cutting it to 16-15. The Bruins pushed the lead back to four when Ivkovic and Leverette powered the offense and Carly Hendrickson dropped in an ace for 19-15.

Long Beach State answered with two Bruin errors and a King kill to tie it at 20. The teams traded points late, with Singletary giving UCLA a 23-21 cushion before Kotzakov answered. After the Beach fought off one set point on a Maxwell kill, Singletary put away the winner off a Meyer assist.

Long Beach State forced a fifth set with a 25-21 win in the fourth. UCLA opened with kills from Singletary and Li for a 2-0 lead, but the Beach countered behind King and Kotzakov to go up 5-3.

The set turned into a back-and-forth battle midway through. Li and Leverette kept UCLA close, and Meyer tied it at 14 with a kill. LBSU regained control behind Maxwell and Thomas, who stuffed Meyer’s attack for a 17-15 advantage.

Agi and Kotzakov sparked a 5-2 run, capped by a King kill to make it 21-17. UCLA trimmed the deficit to 23-21 with blocks from Leverette and Briscoe, forcing a LBSU timeout. King answered out of the break, and Kotzakov hammered the decisive factor for 25-21.

Playing five sets against each other for the first time since 2013, UCLA wasted no time seizing control of the fifth set, jumping out to a 4-1 lead on a block by Singletary and Ivkovic followed by a kill from Li. The Beach took an early timeout, but the Bruins extended the margin to 5-1 when Li struck again.

Long Beach State cut the deficit to 5-2 on a UCLA service error, but the Bruins quickly regained momentum. Li delivered another kill, and Leverette followed with back-to-back strikes to make it 8-2.

The Beach trimmed the gap to 8-4 after a Kotzakov kill and a UCLA error, but Leverette responded with her third kill of the frame. Briscoe added a back-row kill, and UCLA held a 10-4 cushion.

Briscoe struck again off a Meyer set for an 11-5 lead, and Li added another finish for 12-6. Leverette then pushed the Bruins to match point with a kill, and after a service error extended the frame, Li put the match away with her fourth kill of the set, sealing it 15-8.

Li led UCLA with 18 kills. Leverette matched her with 18 kills and added 10 digs and four blocks, while Singletary hit .423 with 12 kills and a team-high eight blocks. Briscoe chipped in nine kills on .467 hitting, and Meyer dished out 38 assists with nine digs.

For Long Beach State, King tallied 17 kills and five blocks, and Kotzakov added 17 kills on .297 hitting with six digs, while Maxwell handed out 36 assists and collected 16 digs.

Li and Leverette combined for 36 of UCLA’s 66 kills as the Bruins hit .309 with 12 team blocks. King and Kotzakov led the Beach’s 50-kill output, which came with nine blocks and a .171 attack percentage.

UP NEXT
Long Beach State (1-2) travels to the University of San Francisco’s Battle By The Bay on Thursday when the Beach face Portland State (0-3) in a 2 p.m. matchup.

~#LongBeachBuilt~

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Sports

Philippine Star – A DREAM SIX YEARS IN THE MAKING 🥇…

Published

23 minutes ago

December 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

A DREAM SIX YEARS IN THE MAKING

Professional volleyball player Bernadeth Pons reflected on her journey of dreaming and achieving a gold medal win at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games on Monday.

“This was just a dream six years ago. 2019 when we won our first SEA Games medal (Bronze), ‘yun din yung first time na nalaman ko na ‘pag nag-champion pala kayo ire-raise ang flag niyo and you’ll sing your National Anthem from the top of the podium. :relaxed: At that very moment, I told myself that ‘Someday, Philippine Flag naman yung nandiyan,'” she wrote in her post.

Pons, together with Sisi Rondina, Dij Rodriguez, and Sunny Villapando, won the country’s first-ever gold medal in women’s beach volleyball during the 2025 SEA Games.

“Finally, that ‘someday’ has turned into reality. We are now SEA GAMES GOLD MEDALISTS,” Pons happily stated. (Instagram/Bernadeth Pons)

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Aced it! ESPN scored most-watched 2025 NCAA Women’s College Volleyball season on record

Published

39 minutes ago

December 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament up 13% year over year
First and Second Round engagement on ESPN+ up 33% YoY
Record regular season viewership – up 36% from 2024

The 2025 Women’s College Volleyball season on ESPN networks was one for the books, as both the NCAA Tournament and the regular season delivered records and grew viewership from last season.

The 2025 Women’s NCAA Volleyball Tournament was the most-consumed ever, with more than 1.3 billion minutes watched across ESPN platforms. The entirety of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament finished up 13% year over year, averaging 666,000 viewers across the 15 matches and featured the most-watched Regionals on record. The ’25 volleyball tournament also featured a record-high four matches that averaged at least one million viewers.

The National Championship match between Texas A&M and Kentucky saw 1.4 million viewers tune in, making it the second most-watched title bout on record and third most-watched college volleyball match ever. The champ game peaked with 1.7 million viewers as the Aggies defeated the Wildcats in straight sets.

The Championship tournament experienced massive growth among adults 25-34, with viewership spiking 83% year over year and among people 2-17, which jumped 40% from 2024. During this year’s championship run, women comprised 45% of the audience, increasing their share from the prior year.

National Semifinals
The NCAA Women’s Volleyball National Semifinals averaged 1.1 million viewers across both matches. Each match hit one million viewers for a third consecutive year.

The second semifinal between Wisconsin and Kentucky led the way with 1.1 million viewers, peaking with 1.2 million. That marks the second most-watched semifinal on record. The Texas A&M-Pittsburgh semifinal averaged 1.0 million viewers and also peaked with 1.2 million, ranking as the fifth most-watched semifinal on record.

Regional Round
The NCAA Women’s Volleyball Regional round averaged a tremendous 530,000 viewers, up 32% year over year for its highest average ever. The round also featured four of the six most-watched Regional matches ever. The Regionals saw huge demo growth among P25-34 (+147%), P2-17 (+89%) and women (+39%).

The top match of the Regional round was the thrilling five-setter between Texas A&M and Nebraska, which averaged 1.2 million viewers — with a 1.6 million viewer peak, making this the most-watched NCAA Regional ever.

Other top matches included:

Kansas vs. Nebraska on ESPN2 (Regional Semifinal | 718,000 viewers)
Texas A&M vs. Louisville on ESPN2 (Regional Semifinal | 674,000 viewers)
Wisconsin vs. Texas on ESPN (Regional Final | 663,000 viewers)
Purdue vs. Pittsburgh on ESPN2 (Regional Final | 468,000 viewers)

The Regional Finals saw its best performance on record, averaging 753,000 viewers (+27%) across the two days. The Regional Semifinals boasted 29% growth from 2024, averaging 402,000 viewers on ESPN/ESPN2 – also registering the best average for this round on record.

First & Second Round
ESPN+ engagement increased 33% over 2024 during the First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Fifth Set whip-around coverage averaged 183,000 viewers across its ESPN2 telecasts, up 60% year over year.

Regular Season
ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 combined to air a record 33 women’s college volleyball matches during the 2025 season – more than any previous year as the sport’s popularity continues to skyrocket. This resulted in

ESPN’s most-watched women’s college volleyball regular season ever, averaging 190,000 viewers and finishing up 36% year over year, including gains among P18-34 (+59%) and women (+41%).

This season, ESPN aired three of its five most-watched telecasts ever, including its largest regular season audience for Nebraska-Kentucky (1.2M viewers | Aug. 31 on ABC). The AVCA First Serve also delivered ESPN’s top two regular season matches on Aug. 24. Stanford-Nebraska drew 596,000 viewers, while Florida-Pitt scored 525,000 viewers.

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Volleyball Adds Three from High School Ranks to 2026 Roster

Published

55 minutes ago

December 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

DALLAS (SMU) – Head Coach Sam Erger and the SMU Volleyball program have announced three addition, Levariya Pinder, Elle Vandeweghe and Victoria Shupe, who will join the Mustangs in 2026. The class is ranked No. 15 nationally by VBAdrenaline.com.

Pinder will stay close to home, hailing from Haslet, Texas, while Vandeweghe will make the move to Dallas from Manhattan Beach, California. Both signed on Nov. 12, the 2026 National Signing day. Shupe officially became a Mustang in late December, hailing from Spring, Texas.

Levariya Pinder, 5-10, Pin Hitter, Haslet, Texas (Northwestern High School/Dallas Skyline)

• Is ranked 37th nationally by PrepDig.com and 12th in the state of Texas in her class

• Was a BI District Champion in 2022 & 2025, as well as an Area Champion 2025

• Has collected 1826 kills, 1284 digs and 136 aces with a .300 hitting percentage in her high school career

• Set Northwestern High School Volleyball records in kills per set and kill in a season

• Was named a Team Captain for Northwestern High School

• Named a District 4-6A First Team All-District, Academic All-District and AVCA All-Region her junior season

• Most Improved Player, District Offensive Player of the Year, First Team All-District and Team MVP her sophomore season

• 5-5A Second Team All-District and Academic All-District her freshman season

• Played for Dallas Skyline Juniors in Club

Elle Vandeweghe, 6-5, Middle Blocker, Manhattan Beach, Calif. (Marymount High School/SC Rockstar Volleyball Club)

• Ranked 29th in the state of California in her class

• Named 2025 AVCA Girls High School All-Region

• Invited to compete at the Under Armor Next All-American Camp

• Selected to the USAVB National Team Development Program and participated in the USVB National Team Training Series

• Team Captain on a top-10 nationally ranked Marymount High School squad

• Helped Marymount win two out-of-state highly competitive tournaments in Hawaiian Island Labor Day Classic and Durango Fall Classic in her senior season

• Helped high school advance to the championship match of the Platinum Division at the Nike Tournament of Champions Southwest

• Played for SC Rockstar Volleyball in club, one top club teams in the state

Victoria Shupe, 5-7, DS/Libero, Spring, Texas (Fort Bend Christian Homeschool Athletics/Houston Skyline)

• Four years Varsity player at FBCHA, played club for Houston Skyline

• Compiled 1,422 digs, 330 assists and 210 aces in four season at FBCHA

• Named to the AVCA Phenom Watchlist in 2022 & 2023 – list compiled by AVCA that recognizes outstanding underclassmen for volleyball

• Won 6 Girls Junior National Championships

• 4x 2024 FBCHA Defensive Player of the Year (2020, 2021, 2022, 2024)

• 2025 FBCHA Team Captain

• 2025 Houston Open Tournament MVP

• Presented the Houston Skyline 14 Royal Skyline Award for the 2022-23 season

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Matheny Set for Under Armour All-American Game

Published

1 hour ago

December 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

ORLANDO, Fla. – Incoming setter Mallory Matheny, one of the highly regarded prep athletes in the country, will close out her high school career by playing in the 2026 Under Armour Volleyball America Game on Thursday (Jan. 1) in Orlando. The match will be streamed on ESPN+ at 4 p.m. ET.

Long known for its nationally-recognized football event, Under Armour has spent the last decade developing the premier volleyball event in the country. It showcases the top 28 prep athletes before most head off to begin their college careers. Following the game, Matheny – and outside hitter Sara Snowbarger – will enroll at IU for the spring semester.

Since Under Armour created the event, Matheny is the third IU signee to receive the prestigious honor of being an All-American. Former setter Emily Fitzner was selected in 2019 while former libero Ramsey Gary captained her team in 2023. Matheny will play for Team Roses as one of two setters on the roster.

Per the Prep Volleyball rankings, Matheny ends her high school career as the No. 21 player in the country. As it stands, she would be the second-highest ranked recruit in program history. She provided nearly 2,000 assists in her prep career and contributed over 500 digs. Her and Snowbarger helped deliver Mintonette Volleyball Club the 16 Open AAU National Championship in 2024.

Matheny, Snowbarger and defensive specialist Ellie Hepler make up one of the premier recruiting classes in the country. All three are natives of the Midwest and will join an IU roster next season that is coming off an appearance in the NCAA regional semifinals for the first time since 2010.

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Jamesville-DeWitt boys volleyball standout caps career with highest honors

Published

1 hour ago

December 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Jamesville-DeWitt senior Owen Dougherty’s high school volleyball career came to an end in November.

He didn’t just finish strong, he left as a state champion, MVP and one of New York’s best.

Dougherty helped lead the Red Rams to their third state championship win in four years, was named MVP of the state tournament and earned first-team all-state honors.

It’s an impressive finish for someone who once doubted he’d even play volleyball in high school.

He grew up watching his sisters play the sport and began playing it himself as a seventh grader, but he wasn’t sure if he’d stick with it.

Dougherty also ran cross country in middle school and nearly chose to pursue that in high school instead.

“I was thinking of actually doing (cross country), but I’m super glad that I kept with volleyball,” he said. “Once I got to high school, I started playing club and really just fell in love with it.”

Dougherty joined JD’s varsity team as a sophomore. He was part of the 2023 state championship squad but played a limited role compared to this year.

“My sophomore year, I played, but I only played back row, only played defense,” Dougherty said. “And I came up partway through the season. So this year, starting from when we lost at states last year, we really, as a team, we just put in a lot of work over the offseason and the whole year.”

That work paid off when J-D reclaimed the state title it lost in 2024.

Dougherty is appreciative to have joined a J-D program that has churned out great teams and players for the past half-decade and gives all the credit to the culture that coach Jake Cline has developed.

“He’s really just focused on the development of the players starting right at ninth grade, JV,” Dougherty said. “He’s always working with the JV guys during practice. It really is no secret why we became such a successful program.”

The senior finished this season top 10 in Section III Division II in multiple categories. He was fourth in kills (210), sixth in assists (277), fifth in digs (137), tied for second in blocks (35) and eighth in aces (27).

Over his career, Dougherty recorded 395 kills, 309 assists, 288 digs, 61 blocks and 63 aces.

Those numbers tell the story of a dominant player, but for Dougherty, the real reward was the team’s success. Nothing compared to the feeling of walking off the court one last time as a state champion.

“(It was) the last time I’ll ever put on a jersey for J-D and playing in a game as big as the state championship,” he said. “It was really awesome. It was the best feeling in the world being able to accomplish that. I don’t know how anything that I’ve experienced so far could compare to that. It was really just the most gratifying and humbling feeling in the world.”

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Men’s Volleyball Opens 2026 Season Against NJIT

Published

2 hours ago

December 30, 2025

Your Sports Nation

HONOLULU – The No. 2 University of Hawai’i men’s volleyball team opens the 2026 season with a pair of non-conference matches against NJIT, Friday, Jan. 2 and Sunday, Jan. 4 at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. The matches begin a eight-match season-opening homestand for the Rainbow Warriors (0-0), who have won their last 12 season-openers dating back to 2014.

PROMOTIONS & GIVEAWAYS:
Friday, January 2
Join us Friday as we kick off the New Year and the new Warrior Volleyball season with the thrilling New Year’s Celebration Match! Brought to you by HMSA, to ring in the new year, the 2,026th fan through the gate will receive an exclusive gift, courtesy of the Men’s Volleyball Team!

Ticket Promotion:
UH Alumni Appreciation Discount
All University of Hawai’i Alumni will receive 50% off upper level adult tickets (maximum of eight). Tickets are in special sections. Supplies are limited and other restrictions may apply. Get your alumni tickets to select UH events at  https://hawaiiathletics.evenue.net/promotions/UHALUM2526

Sunday, January 4

Sunday is “Champions Night“ celebration presented by Hawaii State Federal Credit Union. Following Sunday’s match, the Rainbow Warriors will receive their Big West Championship rings during a special ring ceremony. Swing by the Sports Marketing Table at Gate A to join in the fun, participate in exciting promotions, and score some amazing prizes.

MATCHES #1-2
Who				#2 Hawai’i (0-0) vs. NJIT (0-0)
Date \| Time				Friday, Jan. 2 \| 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 4 \| 5:00 p.m.
Location				Honolulu, O’ahu — Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center
Television				Spectrum Sports. Kanoa Leahey (play-by-play) and Chris McLachlin (analyst)
Live Stream				ESPN+ (blacked out in Hawai’i)
Radio				ESPN Honolulu (1420AM/92.7FM). Tiff Wells (play-by-play)
Streaming Audio				ESPNHonolulu.com; Sideline Hawaii app
Live Stats				HawaiiAthletics.com
Game Notes				Hawai’i
Digital Program				Click Here (coming soon)
Social Media				@HawaiiMensVB \| #HawaiiMVB #WarriorBall26 \| @HawaiiMVB \| Facebook

SERIES INFORMATION

Overall: UH leads 3-0
            In Honolulu: UH leads 3-0
            In Newark: None
            Neutral: None
Postseason: None
Last Meeting: Jan. 10, 2019, UH 3-0
Streak: UH, 3

FIRST SERVE

UH is 38-9 all-time in season-openers including a 14-2 mark under head coach Charlie Wade. Hawai’i has won 12 straight season-openers dating back to 2014.

The Jan. 2nd season-opener is the earliest start in program history.

UH leads the all-time series 3-0 which includes a two-match series sweep in 2009 and a season-opening win in 2019 as part of the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Warrior Classic. All three matches were in Honolulu and were won by the Warriors in straight sets.

UH last opened the season against an EIVA opponent in 2020, when it swept a two-match series against Charleston in Honolulu.

UH has a combined record of 38-10 against the current EIVA members. Hawai’i has played all seven current members including a 19-10 mark versus Penn State. UH has a combined 19-0 record against the six other teams.

NJIT finished 14-13 last season and tied for second in the EIVA standings with an 8-4 mark. The Highlanders are picked second in this year’s preseason poll behind favorite Penn State.

UH begins the season ranked No. 2 in the AVCA Top 20 poll, marking the ninth consecutive year it earned a top 5 preseason ranking. The Warriors are also picked No. 2 in the preseason Big West Coaches Poll while Tread Rosenthal, Adrien Roure, Kristian Titriyski were named to the preseason team.

Hawai’i returns five starters — Rosenthal, Roure, Titriyski, Justin Todd, and Louis Sakanoko — among its 12 returning lettermen from last year’s squad that finished 27-6 and advanced to the NCAA Championship semifinals.

The Warriors return 85.4 percent of its point-scoring production (kills-aces-blocks) including its leader in kills (Roure-344) and service aces (Rosenthal-38).

UH has a 131-14 (.903) record at Bankoh Arena since 2017.

Head coach Charlie Wade begins his 17th season at the helm of the Rainbow Warriors and last year became the winningest coach in program history, surpassing Mike Wilton. Wade has a 319-131 career record.