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USA Volleyball tabs 3-time Olympic medalist April Ross to head beach coach with LA Games looming | Olympics

USA Volleyball has named three-time Olympic medalist April Ross as head of coaching for the beach national teams, turning to one of the country’s most successful beach volleyball players after the Americans had their first-ever medal shutout in Paris. The national governing body said the southern California native will work to improve the performance of […]

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USA Volleyball has named three-time Olympic medalist April Ross as head of coaching for the beach national teams, turning to one of the country’s most successful beach volleyball players after the Americans had their first-ever medal shutout in Paris.

The national governing body said the southern California native will work to improve the performance of “our top American athletes on the international stage” as it looks ahead to hosting the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

“I’m honored to join USA Volleyball in this new role and look forward to working with our coaches and athletes to continue the legacy of success on the international stage,” Ross said. “I’ve always believed in the power of collaboration, and I’m excited to be part of a team that shares that vision.”

Ross, 42, won a silver medal in London, a bronze in Rio de Janeiro and a gold medal in Tokyo — with three different partners; she also won back-to-back NCAA indoor volleyball titles at Southern California.

“April brings a unique combination of elite-level experience, deep technical knowledge, and a passion for mentoring,” said Sean Scott, director of beach national teams. “She’s competed at the highest levels and understands what it takes to succeed. I’m excited to work alongside her as we continue to build a world-class coaching culture that supports our athletes’ growth and prepares them to win at the highest level.”

The Americans dominated beach volleyball after the sport that was conceived on the coasts of Hawaii and California was added to the Olympic program in 1996, winning seven of the first 14 Olympic gold medals. But the haul has sputtered as the generation that included Ross and three-time gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings aged out.

The U.S. women failed to medal in Paris for the first time since 2000; the American men have not medaled at all since 2008.

USA Volleyball said Ross will be based at the beach volleyball training center in Torrance, California, and work to improve the quality of coaching and training at all levels of the national team program.

“April’s leadership and dedication to the sport are unmatched, and we are thrilled to have her in this new role,” USA Volleyball President and CEO John Speraw said. “She is a true champion and a mentor who understands the value of collaboration and developing the next generation of elite athletes. We are confident that her expertise will continue to elevate U.S. Beach Volleyball on the global stage, especially as we look ahead to LA 2028.”


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Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.



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Italy Men’s Water Polo Tops Serbia in Shootout at World Champs

World Championships: Italy Tops Serbia in Shootout on Second Day of Men’s Water Polo Italy capped a long day at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships with a penalty shootout win over Serbia, 17-16, on Monday in Singapore. The day opened with the United States stopping Brazil, 16-7, and included a 13-11 thriller won by Croatia […]

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World Championships: Italy Tops Serbia in Shootout on Second Day of Men’s Water Polo

Italy capped a long day at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships with a penalty shootout win over Serbia, 17-16, on Monday in Singapore.

The day opened with the United States stopping Brazil, 16-7, and included a 13-11 thriller won by Croatia over Montenegro.

Giacomo Cannella was the hero for Italy, scoring in the fifth round of the shootout to put the Italians over the top. The first six scorers all scored before the goalies had their say. Italy’s Gianmarco Nicosia stopped Boris Vapenski in the fourth round and Milos Cuk in the fifth. His opposite number, Lazar Dobozanov, stopped Alessandro Velotto in the fourth round, but Cannella found a way past in the fifth to send Italy top of Group A by a point over Serbia.

Getting a point from the game was a great result for Serbia, which trailed 13-10 with 3:53 left in regulation after Matteo Iocchi Gratta scored. Dusan Mandic scored a penalty goal then on the power play, and Vasilije Martinovic’s power-play tally with six seconds left sent the game to the shootout.

Nicosia led the Italians with 13 saves. Iocchi Gratta shot 3-for-3 from the field. Francesco Di Fulvio added three goals and two assists. Cannella scored four times but took 15 shots to get there.

Mandic characteristically led Serbia with six goals on nine shots. Martinovic was 4-for-4 shooting on the day. Radoslav Filipovic stopped 14 shots in regulation before giving way to Dobozanov.

Marko Bijac made 11 saves, including one with 18 seconds left, as Croatia pulled out a wild one over Montenegro. The Montenegrins pulled within one goal on three occasions in the fourth quarter before Rino Buric’s goal with one second left sealed the game for Croatia.

Luka Bukic scored three times for Croatia. Konstantin Kharkov and Loren Fatovic had two goals and two assists apiece for Croatia, and Marko Zuvela chipped in a goal and four assists.

Djuro Radovic and Dusan Banicevic scored three times each for Montenegro, which got eight saves from Petar Tesanovic.

The Americans started the day by handling Brazil, 16-7. The lead was 8-1 at half. Max Irving and Ryder Dodd scored four goals each, Irving adding two assists. Adrian Weinberg stopped 11 shots. Chase Dodd had a goal and four assists.

The U.S. leads Group C with six points, with a game remaining against last-place Singapore. The host country dropped a 22-10 decision to Canada, thanks to seven goals from Reuel Mark D’Souza and four from Bogdan Djerkovic.

Hungary and Spain won to set up a showdown for the Group B crown in Wednesday’s nightcap. Hungary outlasted a feisty Japan side, 23-18, behind four goals from Zsombor Vismeg. Marton Vamos had two goals and six assists, and Adam Nagy contributed three goals and two helpers. Seiya Adachi and Taiyo Watanabe scored four times each for the Japanese, who are ahead of Australia for third in the group on goal differential.

Spain kept Australia muted in a 10-7 win. The Spanish led 4-0 after one quarter and 9-2 at half despite shooting just 10-for-35 (29 percent) for the game. Roger Tahull scored twice. Alvaro Granados and Bernat Sanahuja scored two goals and an assist each, but they combined to shoot just 4-for-16.

Greece kept the pressure on Croatia and Montenegro in Group D with a 26-5 win over China, thanks to a 12-0 first-half margin. Dimitrios Nikolaidas had a second-quarter hat trick and finished 5-for-5 shooting. Nikolaos Gkillas and Efstathios Kalogeropoulos scored four times each.

Romania deluged South Africa, 24-5, though with a 47-19 edge in shots, it could’ve been worse. Vlad Georgescu and Francesco Iudean scored four goals apiece.



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Mizzou Track & Field Adds Five Signees: The Buzz

Mizzou track and field coach Brett Halter announced the signing of five new additions to his roster for the 2025-26 season on Monday, consisting of four transfers and one freshman. Here is a breakdown of each athlete the Tigers are getting: “We are thrilled to welcome in high-character student-athletes into our program,” Halter said in […]

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Mizzou track and field coach Brett Halter announced the signing of five new additions to his roster for the 2025-26 season on Monday, consisting of four transfers and one freshman.

Here is a breakdown of each athlete the Tigers are getting:

“We are thrilled to welcome in high-character student-athletes into our program,” Halter said in a news release. “Brianna, Pheline, Nora, Raymond and Teegan will help us continue to set the standard of winning national championships while competing in the best conference in the nation.”

44 days.

“To this day, if someone was capable of doing this, if they gave me 22 players, no assistant coaches, no telephone, just 22 players and to play another coach with 22 players of equal ability, the one coach I would fear the most was Don Faurot. He could coach every position.”

– Dan Devine



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USA Women Unbeaten Through Group Play At World Championships With 26-3 Victory Over Argentina

Story Links Singapore – July 14 – The USA Women’s National Team went unbeaten through group play at the World Championships with a 26-3 win over Argentina. Ava Stryker scored six goals to lead the offense with Isabel Williams recording 11 saves in the cage. Team USA advances straight to the quarterfinals on Saturday and awaits […]

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Singapore – July 14 – The USA Women’s National Team went unbeaten through group play at the World Championships with a 26-3 win over Argentina. Ava Stryker scored six goals to lead the offense with Isabel Williams recording 11 saves in the cage. Team USA advances straight to the quarterfinals on Saturday and awaits their next opponent. Live streaming of all USA matches will be available on Peacock (login required).

Team USA got going right away as Tara Prentice scored first on the opening possession of the game. Shortly thereafter, Emily Ausmus rang the register on a penalty strike before Jenna Flynn did the same for a 3-0 lead. Next, it was Jovana Sekulic who scored from set and then Stryker joined the mix with a skip shot goal for a 5-0 lead. Argentina got on the board with about one minute remaining in the quarter but Rachel Gazzaniga returned the favor to give the Americans a 6-1 lead after one.

Gazzaniga started the second period with her second goal of the day for a 7-1 lead. Ausmus put home her second score after a nice shot fake and then, midway through the quarter, Flynn floated home a lob shot from six meters to make it 9-1. Argentina scored another goal on its next possession and then Stryker put home back-to-back goals for a hat trick and an 11-2 lead. With just over one minute left in the half, Stryker stepped up to convert a penalty shot before Ella Woodhead found the back of the net to push the lead to 13-2 before the break.

Jewel Roemer got free on the counter attack for a 1-on-1 with the Argentinian goalkeeper to begin the third quarter and she put it away with ease. Two minutes later, Emma Lineback scored to make it 15-2 before Stryker went cross cage for her fifth goal of the day. Midway through the quarter, Roemer and Sekulic converted penalty shots for an 18-2 lead. Just over one minute later, Sekulic netted her third goal and then Argentina put away their third score of the day on a penalty shot. From there, Sekulic extended the USA lead before Julia Bonaguidi made it 21-3 after three with a penalty shot conversion.

The final frame saw the Americans get goals from Prentice (2), Lineback, Malia Allen, and Stryker as the United States rolled to the 26-3 victory.

Team USA went 6/10 on power plays and 8/8 on penalties while Argentina went 1/7 on power plays and 1/1 on penalties.

Quotes

“It’s always an honor anytime you get to put on this suit. I’ve been training with this team for a long time [and now] being at my second World Championships and playing in more games than my first time through is such a privilege. Being around these teammates, many of whom I’ve played with in college or on younger national teams, is an amazing experience. We have all grown up in the program together and being able to play at the highest level of water polo has been awesome.”  – Ella Woodhead

Scoring – Stats

USA 26 (6, 7, 8, 5) A. Stryker 6, J. Sekulic 4, T. Prentice 3, E. Ausmus 2, J. Flynn 2, R. Gazzaniga 2, E. Lineback 2, J. Roemer 2, M. Allen 1, J. Bonaguidi 1, E. Woodhead 1

ARG 3 (1, 1, 1, 0) J. Auliel 1, A. Bacigalupo 1, M. Canda 1

Saves – USA – I. Williams 11 – ARG – N. Stegmayer 3, L. Canales 1

6×5 – USA – 6/10 – ARG 1/7

Penalties – USA – 8/8 – ARG – 1/1

 



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Minnesota Twins making major investment in future of women's sports

Minnesota Twins making major investment in future of women’s sports – CBS Minnesota Watch CBS News The Minnesota Twins are the first MLB team to fully fund a youth girls baseball team. The 14 and under team was celebrated at yesterday’s game ahead of a big tournament they’re competing in later this month. In this […]

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Minnesota Twins making major investment in future of women's sports



Minnesota Twins making major investment in future of women’s sports – CBS Minnesota









































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The Minnesota Twins are the first MLB team to fully fund a youth girls baseball team. The 14 and under team was celebrated at yesterday’s game ahead of a big tournament they’re competing in later this month. In this week’s Women in Sports, Marielle Mohs shows us the impact this has on the players.

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NEBRASKA VOLLEYBALL POSITION PREVIEWS — OPPOSITE | Stories

State AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyomingPuerto RicoUS Virgin IslandsArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces PacificArmed Forces EuropeNorthern Mariana IslandsMarshall IslandsAmerican SamoaFederated States of MicronesiaGuamPalauAlberta, CanadaBritish Columbia, CanadaManitoba, CanadaNew Brunswick, CanadaNewfoundland, CanadaNova Scotia, CanadaNorthwest Territories, CanadaNunavut, CanadaOntario, CanadaPrince Edward Island, CanadaQuebec, CanadaSaskatchewan, CanadaYukon Territory, Canada Zip Code Country United States of […]

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Creighton new head coach Brian Rosen previews Bluejays volleyball season with First Alert 6

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – For the first time in over two decades, Creighton volleyball has a new head coach. Brian Rosen takes over at the helm after serving as associate head coach under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, who stepped down after 22 seasons at The Hilltop. In an exclusive 1-on-1 interview, Rosen sat down with 6 […]

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OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – For the first time in over two decades, Creighton volleyball has a new head coach. Brian Rosen takes over at the helm after serving as associate head coach under Kirsten Bernthal Booth, who stepped down after 22 seasons at The Hilltop.

In an exclusive 1-on-1 interview, Rosen sat down with 6 Sports Director Clayton Collier to preview the 2025 season.

Clayton Collier: Brian, we’re nearing 100 days in office for you. What have the first three months been like as head coach of the Bluejays?

Brian Rosen: Well, I didn’t know there’s a countdown. It’s been great. Honestly, the team, the parents, have been so supportive since this all started. Obviously, Coach Booth moving on to work with LOVB was a huge piece of news for everyone. I think we all shed a lot of tears those few days. Luckily, I still have her as a mentor for me. We talk all the time. I even just saw her this weekend. She was watching her daughter play and I was out recruiting. So I think that’s been big just to have her support, the community support and the team support.

The first few weeks, we were still able to practice. So it’s good to be able to get in the gym with them as head coach, keep our staff together, keep the team together. So that was great.

And then it’s been recruiting season. Obviously, I was the main recruiter already, so able to maintain the commits that we already had. We just went through June 15, which is a big recruiting time for our sport, and we’ve already committed three athletes for our 2027 class who we think are going to continue to elevate our program and take us where we want to go.

Clayton Collier: You have quite a few newcomers also coming in for this year, four transfers, two freshmen. How is everybody starting to mesh here for the new year?

Brian Rosen: What’s been really special is five of those six came in the spring, so three of the transfers and both freshmen enrolled in the spring, so we were able to train with them for the entire semester. And I think that’s really important for our team chemistry, our culture, to teach them our different systems. So that’s been great.

We have one setter animator. She played for the Swiss national team. She was with Cal for the last four years. Incredible high-level setter. She just got here at the beginning of June, so she’s been in the weight room with our team and playing open gyms with them, and doing all those things.I haven’t been able to really watch her play. I got to see her for about 30 minutes running a drill at a camp, and that’s about the extent of what I’ve seen so far.

But to all accounts, everyone’s fitting in great and working hard and really excited to see how all of them kind of integrate into the system, because I think all of them will have opportunities to compete, to play in Year One.

Clayton Collier: You were just telling me that you are a little superstitious. Are these lucky socks for Creighton?

Brian Rosen: These are one of the pairs. All last season, if you go back and look, I wore pretty much the exact same outfit, first day, second day or third day of a weekend. And we went 30-3. So it worked out pretty well.

Clayton Collier: Do you wash in between?

Brian Rosen: I do. I do wash in between. Do wash in between. But yeah, I do get a little superstitious, so we’ll see what comes out this season. New role, I might have to start some new trends. So we’ll see what comes out this year. But if it goes well, you’ll see it again.

Clayton Collier: The regular season starts August 23 against Penn State, the reigning national champs in Lincoln Pinnacle Bank Arena. What does it mean to be included in the AVCA First Serve, such a large showcase of volleyball?

Brian Rosen: When we heard that it was coming to the state of Nebraska, we were hopeful that we would get the invite. Going to an Elite Eight last season and historically, being one of the best programs in the country, we thought we would. We were really excited when they did reach out.

At the time, we didn’t even know who we were going to play. It was just, we want you to be a part of it. And we said it doesn’t matter who we play. We’re in. So, to find out later on that we’re going to get a rematch with Penn State is exciting.

I think a lot of people have looked at our schedule and said, ‘Wow. Like, that’s going to be one of the toughest schedules in the country,’ but that’s what we recruit with. That’s what we tell our athletes from the beginning. So as a team, we’re excited.

We actually read the schedule to our team in the spring in the gym, and there was never like an ‘Oh no.’ It’s like they’re cheering. They’re excited. So yes, it is going to be really tough. Penn State is going to be really tough and a great program. I would not be surprised if they’re the number one team in the country to start the season, and we’re excited to play them.

Clayton Collier: Nebraska also always a tough challenge in the non-conference, but the fact that this rivalry has a new chapter with both you coming in as a new head coach, Dani Busboom Kelly coming in as the new head coach of Nebraska, just how unique is this moment?

Brian Rosen: I think what’s going to be unique is that although there are new two new coaches in, I know that our fan base, their fan base, our athletes, their athletes, all have the same expectations, and it’s to be playing the last weekend of the season and hopefully hold up some trophies.

So yes, we’ll have new faces on the bench coaching, but I think the expectations stay the same. Coming from a state not Nebraska, this state is so special as far as volleyball support, and I know even for when we play Penn State in Lincoln, I feel like their fans will probably support us.

The state of Nebraska embraces Nebraska volleyball. That’s us, that’s Nebraska-Omaha. That’s the division two programs that played in the match in the football stadium. That’s what has always been really unique to me. Even when we’re playing at Nebraska, if our team makes a great play, like they support it, they cheer for it. Then obviously, when the game gets tight, the ‘Go Big Red’ chants are going to start. And, you know, it gets a little different in there. But as a team like, that’s why you play for those environments.

We get to host them this year at [CHI Health Center] and we’re going to put out a lot of stuff. We hope to reclaim the attendance record for an indoor regular season match that Wisconsin took from us a few years ago. So I think us and Nebraska will work together to make sure every sea is filled and we pack that place.



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