Sports
Introducing Our 12 E.A.S.T. Fest Shapers And The Surfboards They're Bringing
Good luck choosing one to ride…
“There’s going to be too many boards to choose from,” grins Donald Brink, when I ask him about E.A.S.T. Fest hosted by Kona Big Wave.
And, after calling the 12 alternative design maestros who will be attending our psychotropic surfboard ceremony, I can confidently agree with Donald.
At the Palm Springs Surf Club on September 28th, there will be over 100 fringe-dwelling, handcrafted surfboard designs in attendance to be fondled, ogled at, and tested in the Palm Springs Surf Club by the Stab audience. We’ll also have Mikey February’s 16 board E.A.S.T. quiver from the upcoming season for fondling.
“Look, there’s going to be waves and we know what they’re going to look like… so it’s almost like, can you make a board that somebody can fall in love with in two waves?” says Donald Brink. “Or at least that will make them think about every other board in a different way?”
If you aren’t familiar with E.A.S.T. Fest quite yet, click here for all the information you need.
And, if you haven’t bought your tickets yet, click here for General Admission and here if you’d like to test some boards in the pool (still a few spots left!)
Otherwise, scroll below to see each of our shapers — and what party favors they’re planning to bring for our weekend in the desert.
Stretch
“We already went through the whole list and ordered the foam,’ says William ‘Stretch’ Riedel. “I’m excited, it’ll be fun to hook up with the team guys. Nathan [Fletcher]’s going to be there, Harry [Bryant] and Holly [Wawn] will be there too. Should be epic.”
“I’m definitely going to bring a few of the 5150 and the 5150+. The 5150 is the square nose boards that you’ve seen Nate Fletcher and everyone ride, and then the 5150+ is just the same board with a nose.
“And then, the other board I’m gonna bring is the Tennis Tour — which is a new board, kinda,” chuckles Stretch. “It’s my version of the Bobby Quad, because, well, the Bobby Quad is just a copy of my original board.”
When I ask Stretch to explain, he does so with glee.
“It was a Mr. Buzz that Bobby first rode, and he pretty much told CI that he wasn’t gonna ride anything except for this board. I modified it a bit for the Tennis Tour, and I think what I’ve got is a board that’s more user-friendly with really good performance.”
Stretch says he’ll be bringing boards ranging between 28 to 34 liters, and that the 5150’s will be in his trademark DFT construction with a bamboo plate on top and bottom.
“That’s the construction that has the most pop. The idea for us is to make boards that can do everything in this pool.”
Tom Morat
“Well I’m stoked on this fucking Palm Springs thing,” says Tom, when I call him. “It sounds so fun. I’ll definitely be bringing some of my own personal boards. I’ve got one of the Fender Twos, which is the same one I made for Mikey Febs.”
If you don’t know much about Tom Morat, you can read about him here — and you can plan on learning quite a bit more about him in M-Feb’s upcoming E.A.S.T. series.
“With that Fender Two shape, I started just fucking around with bottom contours maybe like a year ago. I tried it on this one board and it worked really well, just so fast and drivey. Since then I’ve been throwing it on almost everything and it’s been working out. Now I’ve been tuning into what kind of rails suit it best. It’s pretty much just four concaves with a rolled entry on the nose. Honestly, just look at the photo, it’ll be easier to understand,” he laughs.
“I was starting ’em off as twin fins, and then I eventually moved towards 2+1’s. Maybe I’m tripping. I think it works, but I’ve made some for people and it always takes a little second for them to get used to it. I got a sneak peek video of Mikey riding his at Malibu from some bystander, and it seemed like he was making it work. Definitely interesting to watch.
Though he’s sure he’ll be bringing a few of the Fender Two’s to E.A.S.T. Fest, Tom isn’t quite certain about the rest of his Palm Springs quiver.
“I’ll probably make a few more personal boards and then make a few demos that are different dimensions for bigger people,” says Tom. “I’m 150lbs, so my boards aren’t for everyone. I should probably make a fish, that could be fun for the pool. Maybe I’ll make something a little bit more rockery that can sit in the pocket a little more. It’d be nice to bring as many boards as possible for sure. Maybe I’ll bring a big-boy twin too, could be cool for something different.”
Alex Knost
Fresh off his first movie release in years, the most recognizable soul-arch in surfing will be joining us in the desert, with the latest expression of his surfboard artisanship in tow.
“I’m probably going to do a variation of some of the stuff I’ve focused on in the past two years,” says Knost. “I don’t know if you’ve seen the boards I’ve made Creed and Mikey Febs lately. The first one is the Experimental Dental, which is a round-pin twinzer with a channel through the fins. It’s kind of a techie board, but I’m going to be making a rounded pin version that Creed likes, and then there’s an updated swallowtail version that I’ve made for Mikey Febs. The swallow kind of fits a little more conveniently in tight pockets. I’m thinking I’ll probably make a 6’6 and a 6’9.”
“I’ve just been kind of invested in this design for the past two years now and I’ve tested it in the Palm Springs pool. It works really well in a short, tight pocket and eliminates the need to pump at all.”
Alex tells me he’ll also dig through his garage and find some other unique creations that people will be able to try.
“Maybe some single fins, something like that. I’ll find some stuff that’ll be fun to experiment with in the pool.”
Jaleesa Vincent
“The event sounds really fun,” says the head shaper of Pussy Surfboards as she tries to track down a missing boardbag from a shaping bay in France. “I only just found out about it and I’m on a bit of a tight schedule, but I did just finish a 5’9 Britney’s Sister sister in Australia before I came over and it’s just been dropped off to get glassed, so I’m going to see if someone could fly that board over.”
Who is Britney’s Sister, you ask?
“My first board I made, I ended up calling it Britney and it’s like a fish, really fat and flat and wide and thick with a cool bat tail,” says Jaleesa. “Britney’s Sister is a bit more tightened up version of that, a little bit more like a shortboard, it’s got a narrower nose and a bit more rocker. Also kind of like a fish, but a performance fish I guess.
“Other than that, I don’t know how many other boards I’ll be able to bring because my board bag is so full of my own boards, and I’m not sure I want strangers riding my Pussies,” she laughs
“I’ve definitely got some random things in my board bag I can show people though — and maybe I’ll make some more boards. We’ll see!”
Campbell Bros
“Took us a while to decide what we’re gonna bring,” says Jacob Campbell, son of Malcom. “We’re pool luddites and tried getting some intel from folks who’ve surfed the wave. Right now, our lineup is looking like a 5’8 MBLV Twin, a 5’9 Alpha Omega Twin, a 5’10 Mod Bee Bonzer 5, and probably something else.”
Of course, you’re probably familiar with the Campbell Brothers for their cambered triangular fins and double-barrel concaves, which Mikey February has displayed with blistering speed and precision on multiple occasions.
“The MBLV is a twin fin version of our Mini Bonzer Light Vehicle, it’s got a pretty narrow tail, and goes good in smaller to medium waves,” says Jacob. “And then, the Alpha Omega first appeared in the fall 1977-78, it was our one-off offering to the twin fin craze inspired by Mark Richards. After decades of dormancy, we’ve brought it back,” explains Jacob.
“And then, to finish, the Mod Bee Bonzer is a modified version of our Bumblebee Bonzer model. The tail width has been brought in a bit for tighter control in the pocket, and the Bonzer 5 setup allows for a quicker turning radius off the bottom and in the lip. Mod Bees still have the original’s easy paddle, glide, and flow, but can actually be more conducive to vertical surfing.”
Matt Parker
“It’s funny, you don’t really want super fast boards for the Palm Springs pool,” chuckles the alternative shaping titan. “You kinda want something that keeps you in the pocket. I’m not overthinking the pool though, I’ll probably just bring a variety of boards that people may want to check out in person. I’m sure I’ll bring some Twinsmans, I’ll probably bring a Vesper, a little Warp Twin would be good for the pool, and maybe a Disorder or something like that could be sick too.
“And then I’m bringing some XO Coco boards, so we’ll have boards for the gals. I’ll probably bring some Bliss’, Tryst’s and Halcyon’s. I think in total I’ll probably bring 12 or 15 boards
Matt says he’ll be bringing a range of ‘everyday people’ sizes in most of the boards.
“Victor [Bernardo]’s boards are 5’6 to 6’6 and he rides like 31 to 39 liters,” says Parker. “I’m thinking that’s probably a good everyday range for people who want to test. They’re mostly PU, but I might bring a couple epoxy things too. I know that epoxy is kinda like the cliche thing for pools, but I don’t know if it’s actually better or not. They’re probably more resistant for bouncing off of concrete, but I don’t know if they actually surf better in the pools. I’ll probably bring a few varieties depending on what we have on hand.”
Matt Biolos
Not so long ago, Matt Biolos and fellow San Clementine Donald Brink concocted an asymmetrical lovechild which delighted Mick Fanning. So much so, in fact, that he declared it the winner of our 2022 Electric Acid Surfboard Test.
Dubbed Micks Tape, the board will be coming along with Matt Biolos to the desert — in a full range of sizes.
“I think we’re just bringing some demo boards for people to ride,” says Biolo. “I actually believe we’re bringing a full demo fleet of Micks Tapes, which feels fitting for the event.”
Ryan Lovelace
“We’ve got a pretty fat demo quiver,” says the defending E.A.S.T. champ. “Maybe like 15 boards. I figure the most appropriate ones would probably be the Zambal Asum, and then a couple of the Pedestrian Ships [Rasta’s favorite].”
“I’ll probably bring two 5’11s and one 6’0 of the Pedestrian Ship. I’m thinking those ones will be PU, but then I just got some vacuum bagged, stringerless flax ones from my buddy in Baja — so maybe I’ll snag one of those out of the stack and bring it. Maybe that’ll finally make people realize that the board won’t make them surf like Rasta,” laughs Ryan.
“I think I’m going to focus mostly on smaller boards, and I might bring a random Satellite also, which is the round nose shorty I make. I may have a 5’3 fish that I can throw in as well.”
Britt Merrick
“After hearing what the event is about, we’ll definitely be bringing some Febs fishes since Febs is there,” says the bearded shaping tycoon. “And we’ll probably bring some Neckbeard Two’s, since it’s a really good air board at the pool and Dane rode it in that first E.A.S.T.
“And then probably a Bobby Quad since that was in E.A.S.T. and got written off pretty hard, even though we all know it’s good,” he chuckles. “And then our best wavepool board that everyone loves in the pool is the Better Everyday, so we’ll bring some of those too. Buncha different sizes of all the boards I think.”
While the CI team will definitely be there, Britt’s attendance will depend on whether or not he returns on time from an elk hunting trip in Montana.
Donald Brink
“I’ve been mapping it all out, I’m building a full collection for it,” Brink says excitedly. “You don’t want to give people a board that they’ve already got six of, because then what’s the point? I also don’t need to prove a point out there. But if I can apply a conceptual addition to a design that somebody already understands, basically just by adding one variable, I think I can expand things. So, I’m creating this collection of channel bottoms that are just a little bit distorted compared to what people may be used to riding. There’ll be probably five different outlines — a couple goofies, couple regulars, and we’ll go from there.”
“You want the right board in your life at the right time, and sometimes it turns on some lights, sometimes it eliminates ideas, and sometimes it casts clarity on how everything else works,” continues the eloquent South African.
In addition to the collection he’s building specifically for the event, Donald tells me he’ll be bringing a half-dozen flax boards that he built in light of his Dave Rastovich experience.
“There’s quite a nice diversity, some trippy boards in that collection for sure,” says the mad scientist. “The bird boards are flax on steroids. I was just trying to elevate the flax concept. I got so sick of building brown boards, so they had color and an odd value to ’em.
“There’ll be six boards in the new channel collection, six boards in the bird flax collection, and the I may bring the board I made Rasta for E.A.S.T. The sizes will be from 4’7 to 6’4 ½ . There’s definitely some bladed boards in there that aren’t going to fit everyone, and then there’s some bigger guy boards too.”
“It’s interesting to see how the discussion around boards changes,” finishes Donald. “What’s funny is I learn more when I’m talking about my boards than people learn from me. Just the way people respond to seeing a concept or the kinds of questions people ask. It’s like I’m there to learn too. So yeah, it’s a shared experience.”
Barrett Miller
At 25 years old, Barrett may be the name you recognize the least on this list. But, as one of the youngest shapers handpicked for Mikey Feb’s upcoming E.A.S.T. series, that may change soon.
Miller has spent the last 13 years cutting his teeth under Joel Tudor and Skip Frye in San Diego’s most respected polyurethane furnaces, and says he’ll be bringing a handful of twin fins to Palm Springs.
“Some boards I’ll have available are the l’iwi’ twins at 5’6, 5’8, 5’10, and a couple of swallows at 6’8 & 7’0,” he says. Will also have some shirts and a new fin collection from True Ames to pair with the boards. I think I’ll have an array of my personal boards to test in the pool as well.
“Those boards are just like a wide point forward twin. I usually run ’em about 5’9 — they kinda have a modern shortboard rail and bottom, but have a beak nose to give you some paddle power.”
Ellis Ericson
“I’m really excited,” says Ellis, from his glassing bay in New South Wales. “I’ve just been on a shaping bender. I’m trying to finish off a Japan order and get shit ready before America, so I’ve just been shaping til midnight every night pretty much.
“I actually just shaped a board late last night for it — and we’re glassing it now. It’s kind of a continuation of the Lite Kite stuff I’ve been doing. It’s kind of a concept board, with a few of the features accentuated and revved up. Turned up all the dials. After shaping for ages, my shapes just seem to get a bit more exaggerated, which is cool. “
“I’ve been keeping the concepts a bit under wraps but I’m excited to see how it feels in the pool. It’s 5’7 x 20 x 2 ½ ”
If you aren’t familiar with Ellis’ work, you can click here to read more about Greenough’s most edgecentric disciple.
“I’ve got one Kite over in the States I’m thinking I’ll bring as well, and then I’m hoping to maybe squeeze in making another one tonight — probably something longer, like 6’6.”
— — —
Most Recent
Dec. 14, 2025, 9:54 p.m. CT
Wisconsin volleyball is heading back to the Final Four.
Carter Booth made sure of it.
And she let the world know she wasn’t going to accept anything less than that result in her post-match interview moments after the third-seeded Badgers’ emphatic four-set upset victory over No. 1 Texas in the regional final.
“I refuse to (expletive) lose,” said the star middle blocker in her interview on ESPN.
She apologized after realizing what she said. But the message and her energy as a whole was well received by Badgers fans on social media.
The senior, who has played the last three years with Wisconsin after beginning her career with Minnesota, had 11 kills and a .389 hitting percentage in Wisconsin’s win. Mimi Colyer, who had a team-high 23 kills to lead the attack, was alongside Booth for the on-court interview.
It’s the Badgers’ sixth appearance in the Final Four in Kelly Sheffield’s 13 years as coach and fifth in the last seven years.
Wisconsin, which has won 13 straight matches dating to Nov. 2, is now two wins from its second national title. And if Booth has any say, Wisconsin won’t be losing again.
Wisconsin volleyball fans react to Carter Booth
Wisconsin volleyball fans loved Booth’s interview:
Wisconsin volleyball advances to Final Four
Here’s the moment the Badgers clinched the win:
AUSTIN, Texas – The No. 3 Texas Volleyball program fell to No. 10 Wisconsin in the NCAA Regional Final, 3-1 (22-25, 21-25, 25-20, 19-25), Sunday night. Sunday night’s appearance marked the 18th time in 20 seasons the Longhorns reached the Regional Final.
Texas finished the season 26-4 overall with 12 wins against ranked opponents, including a starting stretch of 18-straight wins.
The Longhorns saw freshman Cari Spears record 12 kills off 28 swings to hit for .321 against the Badgers. Senior libero Emma Halter posted a team-leading 13 digs and ended her Longhorn career with 1,307 – No. 8 on the UT All-Time list.
Set one: Despite a late rally to stave off five set points, the Longhorns dropped the first set behind Mimi Colyer leading Wisconsin with six kills. Junior outside Torrey Stafford finished with three kills and two of her four solo blocks.
Set two: Wisconsin was lights out in the second hitting .400 and siding out on a 66 percent swing. The Longhorns were limited to a .267 hitting percentage despite Whitney Lauenstein’s best efforts with four kills.
Set three: Texas battled back in the third to take its only set after hitting .400 with just 11 kills. Spears added three kills off six swings to lead the Horns in its efforts to tie the match.
Set four: Even though the Horns jumped out to a 4-0 run to start the set, the Horns were held to a .158 hitting percentage – its worst of the match. The Badgers jumped out to its biggest lead at 17-10 and went on to advance to the NCAA Semifinal.
Both Spears and Stafford were named to the Austin Regional All-Tournament Team.
Texas takes on Wisconsin on Sunday night in the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament Regional Final.
The Texas Longhorns and Wisconsin Badgers hit the court on Sunday night in the regional final of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament. This will be the second matchup between the two teams this season. They met in Madison back on Aug. 31 and the Longhorns came away with a 3-0 win. It was a close first set, as the Longhorns won 29-27, but they dominate the last two, winning 25-20 and 25-14. The Longhorns lost their last match of the season, but have been dominant again in the NCAA Tournament. They have yet to lose a set in wins over Florida A&M, Penn State and Indiana. It has been an impressive run that has them one win away from the Final Four.
How to Watch NCAA Tournament, Regional Final: Texas vs Wisconsin Today:
Match Date: Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025
Match Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Location: Gregory Gymnasium
Live stream the NCAA Tournament, Regional Final: Texas vs Wisconsin on Fubo: Start watching now!
The Badgers are trying to keep the Longhorns from getting back to the Final Four as they try to avenge the loss from earlier this season.
The Badgers come into Sunday night on a 12-match winning streak and they now sit at 27-4 on the season.
They have also been great in the tournament, as they have swept Eastern Illinois and North Carolina and then they beat Stanford in four sets to make the regional final.
What Time Is The College Volleyball Match Between Texas vs Wisconsin On?
The NCAA Tournament, Regional Final: Texas vs Wisconsin will take place on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Tune in and catch some great College Volleyball action.
What Channel Is the NCAA Tournament, Regional Final: Texas vs Wisconsin On?
Looking to watch this game? Fans can tune into ESPN to see the action. Make sure you subscribe to Fubo now to watch this matchup, as well as numerous other sports leagues.
Live stream the NCAA Tournament, Regional Final: Texas vs Wisconsin on Fubo: Start watching now!
Injury, illness and incredible play from third-seeded Texas A&M combined Sunday afternoon to end the season for No. 1 Nebraska volleyball short of the Final Four.
The Aggies’ aggressive serving early, offensive balance and consistent block carried Texas A&M to its first Final Four with a 25-22, 25-22, 20-25, 35-37, 15-13 win at the Devaney Center. The Big Ten champion Huskers finished the season 33-1 in Coach Dani Busboom Kelly’s first season at the helm.
“Obviously, a really awesome game by Texas A&M, and they played like they had six seniors on the court,” Busboom Kelly said. “I’m proud of the way we fought back, and we played our hearts out and had a lot of things against us this week, and we still were that close. I’m just proud of the way we finished that match, and I’m super proud of our seniors.”
Busboom Kelly emphasized the importance of her team’s depth all season long, believing reserves would play an important role if Nebraska were to win a championship. However, that depth took a massive blow this week, with back-up setter Campbell Flynn breaking a pinky prior to the Sweet 16 and senior opposite hitter Allie Sczech suffering an ankle injury stepping on a ball in warmups that knocked her out for the match.
“That has a huge effect on our team,” Busboom Kelly said. “Those of you that have been with us the whole year, we’ve been great at using our depth and use it strategically, and we did not have that today. To have that happen, literally within the last five minutes of warmups, pretty tough.”
With no other viable option and the season on the line, Bergen Reilly also played through an illness to finish with 58 assists, 13 digs, five kills, three blocks and two aces, setting Nebraska to a .270 hitting percentage.
“She’s not feeling her best whatsoever, and it’s hard to go into the locker room and see her feeling that way, because she’s such a big part of our team, and I don’t know how she did it, but she found a way to still make good decisions and get balls up on defense and set us,” Harper Murray said. “That’s not easy, it’s really not, and she’s the best setter I’ve ever played with and will probably ever play with. The fact that she could go out there feeling as sick as she does and still work her butt off and play like that is truly amazing, and I love her to death.”
While Busboom Kelly didn’t have the double-sub available, she still turned to her bench in a bold and perhaps surprising move. Andi Jackson, who was on pace to shatter the school record for single-season hitting percentage, struggled mightily throughout the match. Busboom Kelly pulled her in the first, second and fourth sets, though Jackson returned to the lineup after the first two stints on the bench. After the third sub, Busboom Kelly stuck with freshman Manaia Ogbechie the rest of the match.
Jackson finished with six kills and five errors, hitting a season-low .045. She uncharacteristically missed wide on multiple slides, and whether it be shaken confidence, a struggling connection with Reilly or the A&M block getting in her head, it seemed like she grew less aggressive as the match went on.
“Nothing was going right for her, so thought, ‘OK, let’s give Manaia a try, and she made a few plays, so we left her in there,” Busboom Kelly said.
The freshman contributed five kills on .250 hitting and three blocks.
In her final match at the Devaney Center, Lincoln native Rebekah Allick went down swinging, finishing with 15 kills on .480 hitting, four blocks and four digs. She played a significant part in Nebraska winning the marathon fourth set and put down some big kills in the fifth to keep the Huskers afloat. Her career ends without hanging a national championship banner for the program she’s been a part of since she committed prior to her freshman year of high school, but she capped a final season of tremendous growth with some of her finest volleyball.
Rebekah Allick celebrates a point in her final match at the Devaney Center. Photo by John S. Peterson.
“Bekka has put her heart and soul into this program, and you can tell by her face how much she cares,” said Murray, stepping in during the post-match press conference when the emotions welled up for Allick. “I don’t even care if we win or we lose; what I tried to tell Bekka in the locker room is that she’s going to take away the memories and the relationships that we’ve made. Winning and losing, it’s a part of volleyball, and it sucks, but she put her heart and soul into this program for four years, and she’s leaving behind a great legacy, and has so much to be proud of. We all see how much she cares”
Murray went toe to toe with A&M’s prolific pins, tying Kyndal Stowers for match-high honors with 25 kills on .255 hitting while adding nine digs, three aces and two blocks. Virginia Adriano added eight kills and three blocks but only took 12 swings. Olivia Mauch matched Reilly for team-high honors with 13 digs and didn’t allow an ace on the 20 balls served her way. Laney Choboy added 10 digs and recorded 45 reception attempts while giving up five aces.
A&M served nine aces, including eight in the first two sets, as the Aggies put the Huskers in the 0-2 hole. They more than doubled up the Huskers in blocks, 17-8. Nebraska was slow to the pin defensively for much of the match, with right side Logan Lednicky and left sides Stowers and Emily Hellmuth combining for 149 of A&M’s 178 attacks and 62 of its 75 kills. The Aggies hit .275, the highest of any opponent against Nebraska this season.
“Honestly, I just feel like they move the ball really well,” Allick said. “They have a pretty well-balanced offense. They can fire on all cylinders, and they did that. I think as a middle, it makes it harder to close. If we were one step off, they found that space, and they just crushed it. They were relentless in what they saw.”
Nebraska couldn’t have asked for a better start to the match, terminating on seven of its first eight swings with a block and an ace to race out to a 10-3 lead. That included one of the highlights of the postseason with Teraya Sigler toppling over the bench chairs after making a save on a point the Huskers eventually won.
However, the Aggies weathered the storm, completely turning the tables with a 10-0 run. A&M middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Akpalla served rockets, including a pair of aces, and Nebraska couldn’t find any openings in the Aggie defense.
“I think it started with our serving and passing … Their middle, she has a great serve, and she caught us on that for that run,” Murray said. “I think we worked all season on being first to five, first to 10, first to 15 and so on, and we weren’t able to do that with her serve. Credit to her.”
After a pair of errant attacks from Jackson and having burned both timeouts already, Busboom Kelly turned to the bench and Ogbechie. Reilly went to the freshman on the slide right away and she found the floor, sparking a 5-1 run including another Ogbechie kill to pull Nebraska within one at 21-20.
“She’s mature,” Allick said of the freshman. “I think she’s very mature for her age and as a competitor, and she listens well. We told her just to hit everything, and she did that. I think it’s a testament to her maturity.”
However, the Huskers couldn’t hold serve, trading sideouts until Maddie Waak dropped an ace on set point to seal it.
Nebraska out-hit Texas A&M .355 to .297 but kills and errors were identical. Aces were the difference, 4-1 in A&M’s favor. Allick had 4 kills on four swings, but Stowers went 6-for-7.
Nebraska’s struggles continued into the second set. The teams traded runs early, but A&M surged ahead midway through with a 4-0 run including two more aces from Waak. The Aggie block came alive and Nebraska couldn’t find an answer. Busboom Kelly subbed Ogbechie in for Jackson again at 19-15, but the Aggies held on.
A&M out-hit Nebraska .286 to .211, out-blocked the Huskers six to zero and doubled them in aces, four to two. Murray recorded six kills on 10 swings, but the rest of the Huskers only managed nine kills on .107 hitting.
Nebraska threw the first punch in set three, using a 5-1 run to build a 10-5 lead. The Aggies fired back, pulling within one four times, but Nebraska answered every push. The Huskers won seven of the last 10 rallies to extend the match.
Nebraska out-hit A&M .462 to .312 and limited the Aggies to one ace while benefitting from three errors. Murray terminated on six of her eight swings, including the final point.
The teams went back and forth early in set four, but four straight Nebraska errors allowed the Aggies to pull ahead 11-7, and three straight Lednicky kills extended the advantage to 16-10. Ogbechie checked in again with the Huskers down 18-11 and teamed up with Reilly for a block, sparking a 3-0 run. Reilly served a 5-0 run after that to tie it up at 19-all — which only proved to be the halfway point of the set.
Sixteen more ties and five more lead changes followed. Texas A&M saved nine set points and Nebraska saved three match points, leading to a 35-all score. Murray gave Nebraska’s a 10th chanced to end it with a kill, and that’s what Adriano did, drawing a touch call off the block.
“I think that set showed that we weren’t going to just let them take it from us on our home court and in our gym,” Murray said. “It obviously didn’t turn out the way we wanted, but I think we showed a lot of fight, and that’s something to be proud of.”
The set saw 43 kills — including eight apiece for Murray and Lednicky — as Nebraska hit .250 and A&M .226. Both teams ran out of subs in the set, and Nebraska played through the grueling finish without any timeouts or challenges.
The Cornhuskers show their appreciation to the fans at the Devaney Center following their season-ending five-set loss to Texas A&M. Photo by John S. Peterson.
“Honestly, I had a lot of confidence that we were going to win that,” Busboom Kelly said. “We train all the time, everybody to do everything. I had a lot of trust Virginia could go back there and hit a serve, and it’s Teraya in the front row, and it wasn’t like a panic moment when we ran out of subs. It was like, ‘well, this crew is good enough to win this set,’ and I kept telling myself that, and it was pretty great to see us make it two times through with no subs. I thought they were just really confident, even though they hadn’t done that all year.”
In the fifth set, the teams battled to a draw through the first 10 rallies, but Nebraska never found a way to get its offense clicking and the Aggies gradually began to pull away, winning seven of the next nine rallies to build a 12-7 edge.
Nebraska made one more push, pulling within one at 13-12 with a 5-1 run including two kills from Allick and an ace from Choboy, but two kills from A&M’s star, Lednicky, sandwiched a Murray kill to end the match and Nebraska’s season.
Nebraska only managed six kills on a .050 hitting percentage in the final game. A&M hit .286 with 10 kills, including four from Stowers and three from Lednicky.
Lednicky earned Regional Most Outstanding Player honors, headlining an all-tournament team also including Waak, Stowers, A&M libero Ava Underwood, Louisville outside hitter Chloe Chicoine, Murray and Allick.
The Aggies punched their ticket to Kansas City, where they will face 1-seed Pittsburgh in the national semifinals.
SPOKANE, WA – Jedidiah Barnaby highlighted the season opener for LC State Track and Field on Saturday at the Spokane Invitational. The senior shattered his own record in the 60m dash with the fastest time this season in the NAIA, and multiple newcomers etched their name in the record book in the meet at The Podium.
“A real nice start to our indoor season,” coach Mike Collins said. “Definitely highlighted by Jed shattering of our indoor 60m record, and last I checked, this was the No. 1 time in the nation. Might have a shot at conference and national runner of the week with a performance like that. Although overshadowed a little bit, freshman Collin Wimer made a big splash today etching his name no less than three times onto the record board.”
Wimer put himself in the top five at LC State in the triple jump, 100m and 200m in his collegiate debut, and transfer Reid Thomas did so in the weight throw and shot put.
“A bit of a rust buster, generally speaking, but from a coach’s perspective an opportunity to see where we are at, gauge some strengths and weaknesses and make adjustments to our training where it seems appropriate,” Collins added. “Tough to compete at this time as I know all of these kids have come off a tough week of finals that are very draining, but they really stepped up.”
TRACK
Barnaby solidified his title as the fastest Warrior in school history with the fastest time in the NAIA this season at 6.70. The time is more than one-tenth of a second faster than his previous personal best and had him at the top of the leaderboard in the prelims. He clocked 6.79 in the final to finish second.
Preston Cooper placed 14th in the prelim (6.95) and Collin Wimer joined the LC State top five with his time of 7.08 to place 27th. Camden Koerner was 35th (7.14), Jordan Castillo was 39th (7.19), Bryan Kinene placed 40th (7.19), Avery Seal finished 48th (7.29), James Bogdanowicz was 49th (7.30), Isahi Salinas was 53rd (7.33) and Brandon Decker placed 66th (7.66).
Cooper had a career-best run in the 200m where he clocked the third-best time in program history. His time of 22.10 earned fourth place and Wimer claimed the fifth spot in the record book with his 14th-palce finish (22.51). Luke Siler was 16th (22.84), Aiden Grenier was 17th (22.85), Bogdanowicz placed 22nd with a PR of 23.38, Salinas finished 25th (23.66), Milo Kunnap was 31st (24.03) and Decker placed 36th (25.56).
Grenier had a strong collegiate debut in the 60m hurdles with the fourth fastest time in LC State history (8.59). He finished 12th overall, Cameron Carrara was 20th with a personal best time of 9.24 and Perry Severijnse was 22nd (9.44).
Transfer junior Avery Seal ran the fifth-best 400m in program history to earn a 13th-place finish (51.29). Freshman Luke Siler was just behind in 14th with a time of 51.33. Kobe Wessels finished 20th in the 3,000m with a time of 8:55.78.
FIELD
Senior Trenton Johnson led a trio of Warriors in the triple jump. He placed fourth overall with a mark of 13.93 and a pair of freshmen made their mark on the record book. Wimer cleared the second-best distance ever by a Warrior (13.37m) to place 10th and Kinene was 13th with the third-best mark in school history (13.20m).
Johnson placed seventh in the long jump with a mark of 6.71m, Koerner placed 12th (6.31m), Kinene was 14th (6.20m) and Milo Kunnap finished 23rd (5.59m). Kinene found success in the high jump where he was the top LC State finisher in 13th (1.80m). Carrara and Isahi Salinas cleared the same height, and Severijnse was 18th in his first attempt in the event (1.65m).
Reid Thomas and Ian Roeber made their LC State debuts and placed in the top 20 of the weight throw. Thomas hot a mark of 15.84m, which ranks second in school history, to place seventh and Roeber was 19th (12.61m). Thomas went on to throw the second-best shot put in Warrior history at 14.89m to place eighth overall.
Decker competed in the open pole vault and finished ninth (4.05m).
UP NEXT
LC State is back in action at the Lauren McCluskey Memorial Open in Moscow Jan. 23-25.
Stay up to date with all things Warrior Athletics at lcwarriors.com and on social media @LCWarriors.
The Wisconsin Badgers are facing off against the Texas Longhorns in the Elite 8 on Sunday evening, looking to make their way back to the Final Four in Kansas City next week.
Wisconsin pulled off an impressive win over the No. 2 Stanford Cardinal on Friday, as it out-hit the latter in a thriller behind strong efforts from Mimi Colyer (27 kills) and Charlie Fuerbringer (61 assists).
Now, they’re facing a team that they were swept by earlier in the season, as the Longhorns thrived off Badger errors during their first matchup.
Texas has cruised through its competition so far in the NCAA Tournament, beating Florida A&M, Penn State, and Indiana en route to the Elite 8.
If Wisconsin can win, it would face the No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats on Thursday in the Final Four, with the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies and No. 1 Pittsburgh Panthers being the other two teams still left in the field.
Can the Badgers get a huge upset and break the Texas streak of wins on Sunday? Join us as our game thread is officially active.
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