CHATTANOOGA — The Chattanooga indoor volleyball is set to play in a grand total of 28 total matches this fall as the team has officially revealed its 2025 regular season schedule, head coach Julie Torbett Thomas announced on Tuesday.

The Mocs have their eyes set on August, with the team set to open its year on the road in Orlando, Florida, for the first of what will end up being a 12-match non-conference slate for UTC. Chattanooga will then turn its attention to Southern Conference action beginning September 26 at Mercer. In total, the Mocs will be looking at a slate of 11 home matches, 11 road matches and six neutral site contests over the course of 2025.

“I am excited about our overall schedule,” Coach Torbett Thomas said. “We have several big programs that we will face early-on and that will help prepare us for a challenging Southern Conference slate.

“At this time of year, I really wish the players were back in Chattanooga and we could be in the gym getting ready. We have such a short time until that first matchup. We virtually have a new team this year so while I am optimistic about the season and the way the schedule is laid out, I also think it is our most challenging series of matches since I have been leading the program.”

Another notable takeaway from UTC’s 2025 schedule is that the Mocs will be taking on two Power 4 opponents in UCF and Alabama over the course of the team’s non-conference slate. This will mark the first time since 2019 that the Mocs will have taken on multiple Power 4 teams in the same season.

Prior to the team’s 2025 season-opener, fans will have not one, but two opportunities to catch the Mocs in some preseason action at Maclellan Gymnasium starting first on August 19 with the team’s annual Blue-Gold Scrimmage. Later that same week, UTC will welcome Belmont to the Mac for a preseason exhibition match. Both the Blue-Gold Scrimmage and the exhibition match against the Bruins will have 5 p.m. ET start times and will be free for the public to attend.

The Mocs will then travel down to Orlando to take part in the team’s season-opening tournament hosted by Central Florida. Chattanooga’s season-opener is set for 11 a.m. ET on August 29 against Norfolk State. Later that same day, UTC will then face Big 12 foe and tournament host UCF at 7 p.m. ET. The Mocs then wrap up their season-opening weekend on August 30 by taking on UC Riverside at 12 p.m. ET.

UTC then returns home for the 18^th annual Chattanooga Classic, which is set to run September 4-6. The Mocs’ home-opener will take place on September 5 at 12 p.m. ET when Chattanooga takes on Ohio University. The Mocs will then have a short break before hosting Alabama at 6 p.m. ET that same day. UTC’s final match of the Chattanooga Classic is set for September 6, with the Mocs welcoming Jacksonville State at 6 p.m. ET that evening.

Chattanooga concludes its non-conference season with two in-state tournaments hosted by Memphis and Tennessee State, respectively. UTC will first travel to Memphis, Tennessee, September 11-12 for a trio of matches against Memphis, Lamar and UT Martin. This will lead right into the Mocs going to Nashville for the team’s final non-con matches of the year September 19-20 with UTC taking on Indiana State, Idaho and Tennessee State.

Then, beginning September 26, the Mocs will kick off the team’s 16-match Southern Conference schedule by heading to Mercer. The first chance fans will have to catch UTC at home in SoCon play will be October 3-4, with UNCG and Wofford making their way to the Scenic City for a pair of 6 p.m. ET matches.

Another date fans can circle is October 23, when in-state rival ETSU will square off with Chattanooga right here at UTC. Later on in the year, the Mocs will cap off the 2025 regular season with a three-match homestand, as Western Carolina (November 8), The Citadel (November 14) and Furman (November 15) will close out UTC’s year prior to postseason play.

The 2025 Southern Conference Tournament is set to run November 18-22 and will be hosted for the first time ever in Asheville, North Carolina, at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center. Last year’s 2024 tournament was supposed to be the conference’s first time hosting its volleyball tournament in Asheville, but the SoCon ended up moving the tournament to Spartanburg, South Carolina, following the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

All of Chattanooga volleyball’s matches will be free to attend for the general public. Fans not able to make it out in-person will also be able to follow along via ESPN+, so long as the volleyball team does not overlap with any UTC home football games this year.

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The FHSAA state championship game illustrated how important Halle Zimlich was to Seminole High School’s girls water polo success.

Seminole was up 4-2 early in the third quarter of the state final against Gulliver Prep of Miami when Zimlich earned her third exclusion penalty of the contest. Players are allowed two ejections of 20 seconds each. A third ejection results in a player fouling out of the game.

She had a goal, assist and three steals at the time. Without Zimlich, the Seminoles ended up losing 8-5.

“It takes a team to do what we’ve done,” Seminole coach Ryan Ackerson said. “If there’s one player we wouldn’t want to lose in a game, it’s Halle.”

Zimlich, a junior, is the Sentinel Varsity Girls Water Polo Player of the Year for the second year in a row. She led the Seminoles to a 31-0 state championship season as a sophomore.

“She does things instinctively that you can’t teach,” Ackerson said.

The numbers speak for themselves. Zimlich was sixth in the state with 136 goals according to MaxPreps. She added 28 assists and 58 steals for a 28-2 team. That third stat is the underrated part of her game with Ackerson calling her “an extraordinary defender.”

Zimlich also stepped up as a leader, though she was still humble about it.

“The seniors had a huge role in our team as captains, but I also did as much as I could to be a leader on our team,” she said.

Sentinel Standouts

Mallory Baker, Lake Mary, Sr.

Buzz: She evolved from a stellar defender into a great all-around player. Scored team-high 97 goals, as well as 32 assists and 83 steals.

Bailey Dunn, West Orange, Sr.

Buzz: Racked up 71 goals, 53 assists, 107 steals and 31 ejections drawn in leading the Warriors to the state semifinals.

Maran Harris, Dr. Phillips, Sr.

Buzz: Goalie set school records with 320 saves and 1,033 for her career. Added 14 goals, 54 assists, 48 steals. One of eight goalkeepers selected for National Junior Training Camp.

Fiona Pando, Seminole, Sr.

Buzz: She was an all-around contributor for the state runners-up with 77 goals, 22 assists, 41 steals and 73 ejections drawn.

Vivian Swain, Seminole, Jr.

Buzz: Was catalyst for many of Zimlich’s goals with a national-high 109 assists. Also scored 79 goals and notched 60 steals.

Players of the year and Sentinel standouts are selected by the Sentinel staff with input from area coaches. Athletes represent schools eligible for the FHSAA state series from Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake and southwest Volusia counties.

Seminole’s Adam Walker is Sentinel Varsity boys water polo Player of the Year

Varsity content editor Buddy Collings can be contacted by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com. 

Originally Published: June 10, 2025 at 11:29 AM EDT

RICHMOND, Va. – (June 10, 2025) Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Athletics has extended its decade-long partnership with Learfield, the media and technology company powering college athletics. The long-term extension reinforces Learfield’s role as VCU’s exclusive multimedia and sponsorship rights partner through VCU Sports Properties. Together, they will continue to strengthen the university’s athletic programs with a strategic focus on revenue generation, Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities, content development, and data-driven initiatives.

“VCU Athletics and Learfield have set the pace for innovation in college athletics the last decade and this contract extension shows the strength of this partnership,” said Ed McLaughlin, Vice President & Director of Athletics at VCU. “VCU Sports Properties has excelled in finding NIL opportunities for our Rams throughout the Richmond community and the entire Central Virginia region. Learfield’s relationship-based approach has helped unlock partnerships that align with our values and grow our revenue, especially during a time when all college athletic departments need it. Our goal of building the most successful basketball-powered property in the country remains in good hands with this historic contract extension.”

Through this enhanced partnership, VCU Sports Properties will bring valuable NIL opportunities, intellectual property usage, branded experiences, and original content to the forefront of its sponsorship efforts. VCU will continue to leverage Learfield’s comprehensive sponsorship solutions and expanded services to drive revenue growth. These data-driven strategies have already delivered strong results, with the average sponsorship deal size more than doubling in recent years and over 20 brand partners integrating NIL into their campaigns. As VCU’s brand value and market appeal continue to grow among local, regional, and national brands, VCU Sports Properties secured a record-breaking partnership with Virginia Credit Union, now recognized as the Official Credit Union of VCU Athletics.

As an enterprise-wide partner, VCU also utilizes Learfield’s licensed merchandise agency CLC, digital sports solutions provider SIDEARM Sports, and Learfield’s ticketing, fundraising, and marketing provider Paciolan. Additionally, the agreement delivers more value by tapping into Learfield’s data and digital expertise, powered by Fanbase, the most comprehensive fan data infrastructure in college athletics. Demographic, geographic, and profile data metrics can be used by the multimedia rights team and the VCU Athletics staff to better target Rams fans and maximize brand partnership opportunities.

“It’s an exciting new chapter in our partnership with Ed and VCU Athletics,” said Meghan Heinchon, Executive Vice President of Sports Properties at Learfield. “VCU is positioning itself as a leader in athletics, and we’re excited to help them experience extraordinary growth, especially in strategic sponsorships, revenue generation and NIL programs for their student-athletes.”

As part of the renewal, the VCU Sports Properties team expanded to include a new, dedicated Content Specialist role that works to produce student-athlete-branded content campaigns. The recent addition will create further opportunities to amplify student-athlete storytelling and social influencer opportunities through content creation.

About Learfield
Learfield is the media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield’s presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – A total of 127 student-athletes and relay teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference have advanced to the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which are scheduled for June 11-14 in Eugene, Oregon.
 

Of the 18 ACC Track & Field programs, 16 schools qualified at least one student-athlete for the national meet. The Florida State and Louisville women led the way with eight qualifiers each, while the FSU men qualified six individuals. 
 
The participants in individual and relay events qualified through competition at first round sites held May 28-31 in Jacksonville, Florida, and College Station, Texas. Heptathlon and decathlon participants will compete for the first time at the finals site.
 
On the men’s side, Wake Forest qualified three individuals for the 5,000-meter run, marking the most of any ACC program in a single event. Among the women, Virginia Tech qualified three pole vaulters, while California will be represented by three hammer throwers, both marking the most of any ACC program.
 

In May, the Duke men’s and Virginia’s women’s teams won the 2025 ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Blue Devils and Cavaliers join the rest of the ACC contingent looking to claim the ACC’s first national championship since 2008.
 
In 2024, the ACC saw two individual national championships as Virginia’s Shane Cohen won the men’s 800-meter run and North Carolina’s Parker Wolfe won the men’s 5,000-meter run. Powered by Cohen, the Virginia men led ACC schools last year with an eighth-place finish, logging 26 points. Among the current 18 ACC schools, the Stanford women led the way in 2024, finishing in 13th-place and earning 24 points.
 

Every event throughout the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be streamed on ESPN+. Additionally, select portions of each day will be televised on ESPN or ESPN2. Televised coverage will air on ESPN, beginning at 7 p.m. ET on both Wednesday, June 11, and Thursday, June 12. On Friday, June 13, coverage will begin at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2, while the final day of competition on Saturday, June 14, will be televised on ESPN2, beginning at 9 p.m. ET.
 

For additional information regarding the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships, including a schedule of events, start lists and more, click here. Live results throughout the event can also be found on Flash Results by clicking here.
 

INDIANAPOLIS – UIndy volleyball first-year head coach Haley Case (Kindall) announced the program’s 2025 schedule on Tuesday afternoon.
 
Encompassing 29 regular-season matches, the Greyhounds have 21 in-region opponents on the docket, including 13 GLVC contests. Notably, UIndy hosts one of its three tournaments before traveling to Cedarville, Ohio, and St. Petersburg, Fla., prior to conference play opening on Sept. 26. Outside of their six GLVC matches in Ruth Lilly Fitness Center, the Hounds host Ursuline and Kentucky State in out-of-conference bouts in September.
 
UIndy welcomes nine-time national champion Concordia-St. Paul and 2024 DII tournament selection West Virginia State in the first weekend, while also battling in-region Parkside to open the season on Sept. 4.
 
This year’s Midwest Region Crossover is slated for Oct. 17-18 in Hammond, Ind., with the GLVC Championship Tournament returning to Williamsville, Ill., from Nov. 21-23.
 
The complete schedule can be found here.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas (KTRE) – In what school officials called a “difficult decision, Stephen F. Austin State University dropped three of its NCAA sports programs. SFA Athletics announced they were removing men’s and women’s golf, bowling, and beach volleyball on May 22. News that came as a shock to some student athletes.

SFA student athlete Cameron Hubbard has played competitive golf for 10 years. He played golf at Blinn College for two years before arriving at SFA. He has played for the SFA men’s golf team for the past two years.

“It’s so much fun to compete. Go out there every day and try to get better,” said Hubbard.

As of Monday, Hubbard and his teammates are now the last group of the SFA’s men’s golf team. Hubbard said they were only notified of a virtual meeting with the SFA Athletics before the announcement.

He missed the meeting and said he found out through social media shortly after.

“We don’t know why all of this is happening,” said Hubbard. “I was upset, obviously. It’s very disappointing to hear news like that. You never expect to hear it.”

Hubbard reached out to the rest of his teammates, he said they also expressed sadness and confusion.

SFA’s men’s golf finished in eighth place out of 11 schools for the 2025 Southland Conference in April. It being the last game together.

“Our emotions are all over the place but all we can do is move on go on about our lives with it,” said Hubbard.

Hubbard hopes SFA Athletics considers bringing back all three sports one day.

“That’s something I believe the university deserves to have. I think that we’ve represented them well while we were here. I think we deserve our spot back on campus,” he said.

For student athletes affected by the cut, SFA will honor all scholarships of student-athletes who choose to stay at the university, or they can transfer to a different institution to continue their athletic and academic career.

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