Sports
Dusan Mandic and Beatriz Ortiz overcome setbacks to reach pinnacle of water polo
SINGAPORE – Dusan Mandic and Beatriz Ortiz may be Olympic champions and the world’s best men and women’s water polo player respectively, but the road to success was fraught with bitter failures and disappointments.
In a phone interview ahead of the July 11-Aug 3 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Mandic told The Straits Times: “If you think training is hard, try losing.”
The 2.02-metre Serb, born and raised in Montenegro, has come a long way since he was a “childish rebel” who and experimented with sports like karate, jiujitsu, sailing and tennis before settling on water polo.
His prowess in the pool grew as quickly as his growth spurt – he gained 20cm and 30kg from age 16 to 18 – as he started racking up championships since winning the youth world championship with Serbia in 2011.
After a bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, he led Serbia on a run of nine major titles, including gold at the 2015 world championships and Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics.
However, while he also has three European crowns, the right-winger and driver has had his fair share of setbacks.
This included a seventh-placed finish after single-goal defeats by Montenegro and Spain at the 2013 world championships and the medal drought between the Tokyo and Paris Games.
But the heartbreaks only served to spur Mandic on to greater things.
“Sport teaches you a lot of things… you learn more through your losses, which I definitely did,” said the 30-year-old, who has earned a reputation for being a clutch player in the biggest occasions.
“I realised hard practice and hard trainings are the best way and the only way to improve yourself.
“During the losses, we were the favourites and had a lot of quality, but we wouldn’t have bounced back if the whole team didn’t admit what was wrong.
“We looked at each other and said, we are not going to let this happen again. It gave us positive energy and with the big quality we had, we managed to achieve some incredible results.”
For his clutch performances, he was named 2024 World Aquatics Male Water Polo Player of the Year. While he said the individual accolade “doesn’t mean a lot” without the team success, he acknowledged it was validation that he was on the right track as a player.
Among his Olympic victories, Paris 2024, when Serbia beat Croatia 13-11 in the final, was the most significant as nobody gave them a chance because they had not made the podium in any major tournament after winning at the delayed Games in Tokyo in 2021.
Mandic said: “We took advantage of that, and even now when I think about it, it’s like how did we do it? It’s unbelievable, really.”
For the upcoming world championships, Serbia were drawn into Group A alongside Italy, Romania and South Africa.
Other than looking forward to visiting “futuristic” Singapore as a tech geek, Mandic hopes his team can build on the Paris success to return to the podium after finishing failing to make the semi-finals at the last four editions.
On their world championships title drought, he said: “Our team have changed a lot, especially after the Tokyo Olympics. There were many new players, and I saw the European and world championships as preparation for the Olympics because we needed time to grow.
“Now, we definitely have the momentum, chemistry and belief to do well in Singapore. We have created something and we have found our game. We played amazingly in the elimination phase in Paris and everybody in the team is looking forward to Singapore.
“Between Tokyo and Paris, we didn’t win any medals. We suffered a lot of frustration and learnt a lot during this time before we bloomed in Paris. And now we want to continue this.”
In the women’s game, Spain’s Ortiz followed a similar trajectory.
She was a gymnast growing up in football-mad Barcelona before switching to water polo after being influenced by her two brothers.
The 29-year-old driver shared that gymnastics helped instil the dedication, effort, and toughness to “endure things I never thought I’d be able to handle”, which included narrowly missing out on the 13 players called up to the national team at the start of her career.
Spain’s Beatriz Ortiz scored four goals in the 11-9 final win over Australia at the Paris 2024 Olympics.PHOTO: World Aquatics
Spain were fifth at the 2016 Olympics and were outplayed by the United States in the final of the Tokyo Games before a heartbreaking shoot-out defeat by the Netherlands in the final of the 2023 world championships.
Against all odds, they rebounded in Paris, where Ortiz scored four goals in the 11-9 final victory over Australia as Spain racked up a perfect seven wins for a historic Olympic gold.
Ortiz said: “The only way to overcome all those setbacks is as a team. We had good and bad years, tough moments and great ones. But we couldn’t have gotten through any of that without our teammates. No matter how hard the previous years had been, we knew we wanted that gold and we weren’t willing to let it slip away again.”
The Spaniards will approach the upcoming world championships with the same mentality as they have not won it since they were hosts in 2013. This year, they will begin their campaign in Group D alongside Britain, South Africa and France.
Ortiz said: “We are a country that doesn’t like to give up, and no matter what it takes, no matter what we have to go through, we’ll keep fighting to make our dreams come true.”
- David Lee is senior sports correspondent at The Straits Times focusing on aquatics, badminton, basketball, cue sports, football and table tennis.
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Sports
Watch Nebraska volleyball vs Long Island: TV channel, time, streaming
Dec. 5, 2025, 4:08 a.m. CT
The Nebraska volleyball team (30-0) was selected as the No. 1 overall seed for the 2025 NCAA tournament on Sunday night. The Cornhuskers will open the tournament on Friday against the Long Island Sharks (20-8) at the John Cook Arena.
The other first-round game in Lincoln will see San Diego face Kansas State at 4:30 p.m. CT. The Huskers will host the first and second rounds this Friday and Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The second round game is Saturday at 7 p.m. CT.
Nebraska’s offense ranks first nationally with a .352 hitting percentage. The defense is equally impressive, ranking first nationally in opponent hitting percentage at .125.
Junior Harper Murray leads the team with 3.55 kills and 2.15 digs per set and a team high 28 aces. Setter Bergen Reilly runs the offense at an elite level with an average of 10.31 assists and 2.73 digs per set. Middle blocker Andi Jackson is averaging 2.75 kills per set on .467 hitting with 1.13 blocks per set.
The Sharks enter the tournament with an automatic bid after winning the Northeast Conference tournament. LIU is led by Sara van Gisteren, who averages 3.92 kills per set. She was also named the NEC tournament MVP. Karly Klaer was named the NEC setter of the year with 10.06 assists per set.
Nebraska will be playing Long Island for the second time ever. The teams met in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, with the Huskers winning 25-13, 25-16, 25-22.
Watch Nebraska volleyball vs Long Island live on ESPN+
Here’s how to watch the Nebraska volleyball vs Long Island game on Friday, including time, TV schedule, and streaming information:
What channel is Nebraska volleyball vs Long Island on?
TV Channel: N/A
Livestream:ESPN+ (subscriber only)
Nebraska-Long Island volleyball in the first round of the NCAA tournament can be seen on ESPN+. Huskers Radio Network will have audio coverage of all Nebraska matches on Huskers Radio Network affiliates, Huskers.com and the Huskers app. John Baylor and Lauren Cook West will be on the call. Streaming options for the game include ESPN+.
Nebraska volleyball vs Long Island time today
- Date: Friday, Dec. 5
- Start time: 7 p.m. CT
The Nebraska volleyball vs Long Island first-round NCAA tournament game starts at 7 p.m. CT from the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, NE.
Nebraska volleyball 2025 schedule (30-0, 20-0)
Aug. 22 – vs. Pittsburgh – WIN 3-1 (25-22, 25-11, 20-25, 25-23)
Aug. 24 – vs. Stanford – WIN 3-0 (25-13, 25-19, 25-14)
Aug. 29 – at Lipscomb – WIN 3-0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-15)
Aug. 31 – vs Kentucky – WIN 3-2 (24-26, 20-25, 25-19, 25-23, 15-8)
Sept. 5 – vs. Wright State – WIN 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-20)
Sept. 7 – vs. California – WIN 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-12)
Sept. 12 – vs. Utah – WIN 3-1 (21-25, 25-8, 25-18, 25-13)
Sept. 13 – vs. Grand Canyon – WIN 3-0 (25-12, 25-23, 25-18)
Sept. 16 – at Creighton – WIN 3-2 (25-17, 21-25, 25-18, 24-26, 15-9)
Sept. 20 – vs. Arizona – WIN 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-18)
Sept. 24 – vs. Michigan – WIN 3-0 (25-6, 25-15, 25-13)
Sept. 27 – vs. Maryland – WIN 3-0 (25-14, 27-25, 25-14)
Oct. 3 – at Penn State – WIN 3-0 (25-6, 25-15, 25-13)
Oct. 4 – at Rutgers – WIN 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-16)
Oct. 10 – vs. Washington – WIN 3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 25-16)
Oct. 12 – at Purdue – WIN 3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 25-15)
Oct. 17 – at Michigan State – WIN 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-20)
Oct. 19 – at Michigan – WIN 3-0 (25-18, 25-13, 25-18)
Oct. 24 – vs. Northwestern – WIN 3-0 (25-17, 25-13, 25-17)
Oct. 25 – vs. Michigan State – WIN 3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-18)
Oct. 31 – at Wisconsin – WIN 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-13)
Nov. 2 – vs. Oregon – WIN 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-12)
Nov. 6 – vs. Illinois – WIN 3-0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-14)
Nov. 8 – at Minnesota – WIN 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-20)
Nov. 14 – at UCLA – WIN 3-1 (25-17, 25-23, 19-25, 25-15)
Nov. 16 – at USC – WIN 3-0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-20)
Nov. 20 – vs. Iowa – WIN 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-18)
Nov. 22 – at Indiana – WIN 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-22)
Nov. 28 – vs. Penn State – WIN 3-0 (25-14, 25-11, 25-14)
Nov. 29 – vs. Ohio State – WIN 3-0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-20)
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Sports
Tennessee volleyball vs Utah State, Lady Vols upset in first round
Updated Dec. 4, 2025, 9:00 p.m. ET
Tennessee volleyball chose a bad time to play its worst volleyball of the season.
The No. 7 seed Lady Vols were on their heels in the beginning of the match against Utah State, and they didn’t have enough to complete the reverse-sweep. Tennessee (20-8) fell 3-2 to the Aggies (24-7) in a shocking upset in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Arizona, on Dec. 4.
The Lady Vols won two straight sets to make it a five-set thriller, and they battled from behind the entire fifth set, which they ultimately lost 15-11. In the end, it wasn’t enough to recover from their poor start.
By the time Tennessee started playing like its season was on the line, it was staring down a reverse sweep to advance. But against a red-hot Utah State team, which entered the tournament on a 21-game winning streak, the late push wasn’t enough.
In the first two sets, the Aggies picked apart the Lady Vols defense at the net and on the floor – it was a clinical dismantling by Utah State, which made all the scrappy, game-winning plays of a team that swept the Mountain West championships.
The Lady Vols made a fierce comeback attempt, turning the tide with sharper, more aggressive serving in the third and fourth sets to force a five-set thriller. They found their footing on defense, and they got a spark from Sydney Jones to launch and more balanced attack.
Outside hitter Starr Williams was a bright spot in the offense, especially while Tennessee looks all out of sorts the first two sets. She continued to be a focal point all match, and she logged 15 kills with a .387 hitting percentage, along with seven digs and four blocks.
Jones was a difference-maker as a reserve, and she continued to score points for the Lady Vols when they needed them. Jones ended the night with 12 kills, and Hayden Kubik also added 12 kills.
The Lady Vols’ offense hit just .228 as a team, while they allowed Utah State to hit .312. They struggled to slow down the Aggies’ attack between Tierney Barlow, who ended the match with 16 kills, and Loryn Helgesen and Andrea Simovski, who both had 14 kills.
Tennessee middle blocker Zoe Humphrey did not travel with the team, according to the ESPN broadcast.

Tennessee volleyball vs. Utah State: Live score updates
When does Tennessee volleyball vs. Utah State start?
- Date: Thursday, Dec. 4
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Arizona.
What TV channel is Tennessee vs. Utah State on today?
Tennessee volleyball schedule 2025
Last 10 games
- Dec. 4: vs. Utah State in Tempe, Arizona, 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+
- Nov. 24: vs. Kentucky in SEC tournament, L 1-3
- Nov. 23: vs. Florida in SEC tournament, W 3-1
- Nov. 16: Oklahoma, W 3-1
- Nov. 14: Arkansas, W 3-0
- Nov. 9: at Kentucky, L 1-3
- Nov. 7: at Vanderbilt, W 3-0
- Nov. 2: Texas A&M, L 1-3
- Oct. 31: Missouri, L 1-3
- Oct. 26: at Mississippi State, W 3-1
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
Sports
2025 DI women’s volleyball championship: Bracket, schedule, scores
The DI women’s volleyball championship is here. The tournament continues Friday, Dec. 5 with both first and second round matches and lasts until the national championship on Sunday, Dec. 21 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
The full 64-team bracket was announced on Sunday, Nov. 30. Thirty-one conference champions earned automatic bids to the tournament, with the NCAA DI women’s volleyball committee selecting 33 other teams as at-large picks.
Here is everything you need to know about the 2025 women’s volleyball championship.
2025 DI women’s volleyball championship bracket
👉 Click or tap to see the interactive bracket
2025 DI women’s volleyball championship schedule
All times listed in ET
- First round: Dec. 4-5
- Second round: Dec. 5-6
- Regionals: Dec. 11 and 13 or Dec. 12 and 14
- Semifinals: Thursday, Dec. 18
- National championship: 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 21 | ABC
- Selection show: 6 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 30
- First round:
- Thursday, Dec. 4
- No. 5 Colorado 3, American 0
- No. 6 Baylor 3, Arkansas State 2
- No. 8 UCLA 3, Georgia Tech 2
- No. 5 Miami (Fla.) 3, Tulsa 1
- No. 4 Indiana 3, Toledo 0
- No. 6 UNI 3, Utah 2
- North Carolina 3, No. 6 UTEP 1
- Utah State 3, No. 7 Tennessee 2
- No. 1 Kentucky 3, Wofford 0
- No. 3 Purdue 3, Wright State 0
- No. 4 Kansas 3, High Point 0
- Cal Poly 3, No. 5 BYU 2
- No. 3 Creighton 3, Northern Colorado 2
- No. 3 Wisconsin 3, Eastern Illinois 0
- No. 2 Arizona State 3, Coppin State 0
- No. 4 USC 3, Princeton 0
- Thursday, Dec. 4
DI women’s volleyball championship history
Here is the complete history of DI women’s volleyball champions:
Sports
Track & Field Opening Indoor Season with Split-Squad Weekend – Penn State
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State track & field is set to begin its indoor slate with a three-meet split-squad weekend. The Nittany Lions will start their week in Philadelphia on Friday, Dec. 5 at the Penn Opener, also competing on Saturday, Dec. 6. On Saturday, there will also be Nittany Lions competing at the Bucknell Opener in Lewisburg, and the Sharon-Colyear Danville Season Opener in Boston on Saturday. Dec. 6.
Penn State is set to begin the 2025-26 indoor season while continuing to build off its success from a season ago. The men’s squad finished 12th in the Big Ten last indoor season while the women finished seventh. The squad returns six All-Americans from last year’s indoor team including 2024 First Team All-Americans Handal Roban and Hayley Kitching.
Head Coach John Gondak enters his 12th season leading the Nittany Lion track & field program. His coaching resume includes 62 First Team All-Americans and 11 Big Ten team titles.
PENN OPENER – Friday-Saturday, December 5-6
Live Results | Watch on Saturday (ESPN+)
Penn State will send seven athletes to compete at the Penn Opener. Maddie Pitts will be the lone competitor on Friday in the pentathlon.
BUCKNELL OPENER – Saturday, December 6
Live Results
The largest group of Nittany Lions will be headed to Lewisburg to compete in the Bucknell Opener. 36 athletes in field events and sprints will be the main competition group for PSU this weekend at Bucknell.
SHARON COLYEAR-DANVILLE SEASON OPENER – Saturday, December 6
Live Results | Watch (FloTrack)
Penn State will be sending 10 athletes to Boston for season opening action. The middle distance/distance group will make up the group competing against some of the top talent in the nation.
FULL 2025-26 INDOOR TRACK & FIELD SCHEDULE
Dec. 5-6 – Penn Opener | Philadelphia, Pa.
Dec. 6 – Bucknell Opener | Lewisburg, Pa.
Dec. 6 – Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener | Boston, Mass.
Jan. 17 – Nittany Lion Challenge | University Park, Pa.
Jan. 24 – Penn 10 Team Elite | Philadelphia, Pa.
Jan. 30-31 – Penn State National Open | University Park, Pa.
Feb. 7 – Sykes & Sabock Challenge | University Park, Pa.
Feb. 13-14 – Tyson Invitational | Fayetteville, Ark.
Feb. 13-14 – David Hemery Valentine Invitational | Boston, Mass.
Feb. 20 – Penn State Tune-Up | University Park, Pa.
Feb. 27-28 – Big Ten Indoor Championships | Indianapolis, Ind.
Mar. 13-14 – NCAA Indoor Championships | Fayetteville, Ark.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateTFXC) and X/Instagram (@pennstatetfxc). Live updates on race day regarding start times and other important notes will be posted on X.
Sports
Women’s Volleyball vs University of Alaska Anchorage on 12/4/2025 – Box Score
Sports
#11 Creighton Volleyball Outlasts Northern Colorado to Advance to Second Round of NCAA Tournament
Courtesy of Rob Anderson, Creighton Athletics
OMAHA, Neb. — No. 11 Creighton Volleyball was pushed to the brink but survived to win its 21st straight match on Thursday evening, opening up NCAA Tournament play with a 3-2 victory over Northern Colorado. Scores of the Bluejay triumph were 25-12, 23-25, 23-25, 25-17, 15-8.
Creighton earns itself a Second Round match-up against Northern Iowa (26-5) after the sixth-seeded Panthers finished off their first reverse sweep in the NCAA Tournament since 2022 with a 15-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-10 win over Utah. Creighton defeated the Panthers at D.J. Sokol Arena on Sept. 14 to close out play at the Bluejay Invitational.
Five women had multiple kills in the first set as Creighton powered past Northern Colorado, led by six kills from Ava Martin. Martin also had a pair of aces late in the set to solidify CU’s 25-12 victory. The Jays hit .438 and had 17 kills to UNC’s six kills on .000 hitting and never trailed in the frame.
UNC snapped Creighton’s 17-set win streak with a 25-23 victory in the second set, which featured nine ties and five lead changes. Isabel Bennett had go-ahead kills to make it 23-22 and 24-23 and Alayna Tessena put down the winner on set point. Northern Colorado had 15 kills and 18 digs in the second set and held the Bluejays to 11 kills and .200 hitting. Martin had seven kills for CU in the second set, while Sydney Breissinger added six digs.
The Bears won the first three points of the third set and moved in front 8-4 to force an early timeout from CU head coach Brian Rosen. The stoppage did little to improve the fortunes for the hosts, who called another timeout six points later after falling behind 12-6 to the Big Sky Tournament champions. The second timeout did the trick, as the Bluejays countered with an 8-2 burst to even the score at 14-all. Northern Colorado settled down, never surrendering the lead, and led 23-20 before one last push from the hosts. Martin pounded her 18th kill of the night, and Nora Wurtz followed with her 56th ace of the fall to cut CU’s deficit to 23-22 and lead UNC coach Lydnsey Oates to call timeout. Martin slammed a cross-court kill to tie the score at 23-all, but UNC answered with a Zoe Gibbs kill for a set point opportunity. The Bears won the set on a Bluejay attack error, 25-23.
The Bluejays got off to a 6-2 lead in the fourth set thanks in part to three early UNC hitting errors, then extended the advantage to 14-6. The Jays won the set 25-17, with freshman Abbey Hayes stepping up with a team-best four kills. CU had 4.5 blocks in the set, including one of set point from Reinhardt and Martin.
Creighton got off to a quick start in the fifth frame, scoring the first three points on two Martin kills and a UNC attack error. CU led 8-3 at the changeover
Martin was dominant with 30 kills on 65 swings, while Jaya Johnson finished with 12 kills. Reinhardt rounded out the Bluejays in double figure kills with 10. Annalea Maeder closed the match with a double-double, delivering 53 assists and 20 digs.
Tessena led Northern Colorado with 14 kills, while Brynn Reines finished with 11 kills
First serve of tomorrow’s Second Round match is at 6:30 p.m.
NOTES: Creighton improved to 18-14 all-time in 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 12-3 mark in the First Round … Creighton has won 21 straight matches, its third-longest streak in program history … Creighton is now 8-4 in home matches in the NCAA Tournament, including five straight victories … Creighton has won its last 11 home matches this fall … Creighton is now 4-1 all-time against Northern Colorado … Creighton has won 68 straight matches over unranked foes and 56 non-televised matches in a row … Ava Martinmoved into third place in CU history in career service aces with 126 … Ava Martinhad her 25th straight match with 10 or more kills and 108th in a row with five or more kills … Ava Martin had her 13th career match with 20+ kills, and seventh this season.
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