Gunfire Interrupts Opening-Round Game in U20 Water Polo World Championships

The first day of the U20 Water Polo World Championships in Brazil was interrupted by gunfire during the match between China and Canada. Competing in the city of Salvador, Chinese and Canadian players were forced to exit the pool, lay down and take cover when gunshots rang out from a neighborhood outside of the water polo venue.

China was ahead by a goal at the time of the first-half stoppage and went on to earn a 12-8 victory. According to reports, players ducked behind a barrier upon hearing the gunfire. Police indicated that the gunfire was the result of a confrontation between authorities and an alleged thief who was trying to escape.

“The match stopped for about a minute,” said Marco Antonio Lemos, the head of the Bahia State Water Sports Federation. “Our team saw that the police were taking care of it.”

Brazil is serving as the host of the tournament for the first time.

The United States won its first game on Sunday with an 11-10 decision over Hungary, as Emily Ausmus scored on a power play with just 18 seconds remaining. Ausmus had two goals and was named player of the match. Goalie Lauren Steele registered five saves.

Tournament Information

Best NCAA Women’s Water Polo Players in History

Monday marked the opening day of practice for Fall high school sports teams, including volleyball.

Wayzata returns several players who saw court time a year ago when the Trojans won 19 matches and reached the semifinals of the Section 5AAAA tournament.

Senior Eva Swenson and juniors Kayla Nawrocki and Ellie Osowski were all-Lake conference players in 2024, and all have committed to Division One college programs.

The Trojans also have a handful of other players back who earned varsity court time a year ago too, so it should be another season in which the team competes for conference and section titles.

Wayzata opens the season August 25th at Rogers.

Volleyball

CCX News – Daily Sportscast

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M track & field head coach Pat Henry announced the addition of two-time Olympian Amin Nikfar to his staff as an assistant coach Monday. Nikfar will lead the Aggie throws group.
 
“Coach [Amin] Nikfar brings a wealth of experience and knowledge of the throwing events to our program,” Henry said. “I have known him and watched his athletes compete at a very high level for a number of years. I believe not only in his ability to coach, but his ability to communicate with his athletes and I know he will work well with our staff.”
 
Nikfar joins the Aggies from North Carolina after leading the Tar Heels throws group for the past six seasons. During his time in Chapel Hill, he guided his athletes to 14 All-America honors, highlighted by a runner-up finish from Tommy Kitchell in the shot put at the men’s 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships, and a pair of third-place finishes at the women’s outdoor nationals, courtesy of Madison Wiltrout in the javelin and Jill Shippee in the hammer throw, in 2022 and 2021, respectively. His groups also stood out on the conference level, securing nine individual ACC titles across the indoor and outdoor seasons.
 

“Texas A&M is a storied track & field program, and it is a great honor to join the work that is happening in Aggieland,” Nikfar said. “I’d like to thank Coach Henry, his staff and the athletic department for the opportunity to join the ranks. I feel fortunate to be able to uphold the high standards that have been set and contribute to the team.”
 
Prior to UNC, Nikfar served as an assistant coach at Stanford where he was named the 2019 USTFCCCA West Region’s Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year for his work with his four women’s NCAA Outdoor Championship competitors. He also spent time coaching at Southeastern Louisiana, the University of New Orleans, St. Francis High School and adds a pair of volunteer coaching roles at Northern Arizona and his alma mater, California.
 
Nikfar, a shot put standout, competed in the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympic Games and appeared in two IAAF World Championships. He was a nine-time Iranian national champion and broke national records six times. He was the 2004 Asian Indoor Athletics champion, and his collegiate-best mark still ranks No. 8 on the Cal’s all-time list. His lifetime best of 65-9.5 (20.05 meters) from 2011 remains an Iranian national record. 
 
Coach Henry also announced new roles within the current staff for the 2025-26 season, as Olivia Ekponé now takes on the role of assistant coach/recruiting coordinator, while assistant coach Joe Sarra will now also serve as the team’s director of operations.
 

To learn more about Texas A&M Track & Field/Cross Country, visit 12thMan.com and follow @aggietfxc.

BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The defending NSIC regular season and tournament champions of St. Cloud State were picked by the league coaches in the NSIC Preseason Volleyball Poll. The Huskies are coming off a 2024 season where they finished 29-3 overall and 18-0 in NSIC play, and advanced to the NCAA Regional Final. SCSU received eight first place votes to tally 212 points.

The University of Jamestown, playing their first season at the NCAA Division II level, was picked to finish 11th. Senior setter Lily Bertsch was chosen as the Jimmies’ preseason player to watch.

Concordia-St. Paul was picked second with 208 points and four first place votes while Southwest Minnesota State was third with 202 points and the other four first place votes. 

The 2025 NSIC Volleyball season will begin with non-conference matches on Thursday, September 4 while the NSIC schedule begins September 19.  The NSIC regular season champion will be determined by the 20-match conference schedule. The 2025 NSIC Volleyball Tournament shall be an eight-team tournament with the quarterfinals hosted at the top four seeds on Tuesday, November 18 and the semifinals/championship matches hosted at the highest remaining seed. The semifinals/championship matches will take place on two consecutive days between Friday and Sunday, November 21-23 with the dates of competition determined by the host institution.

“We will be the least experienced team that I have coached in my 17 years at the University of Jamestown,” said head coach Jon Hegerle, who enters his 17th season. “However, this team has a lot of energy and the players genuinely care about each other. Returning only four players from last year’s roster, we will have a number of new faces on the court. I am excited to see how our team, players, and coaches respond to the gauntlet that is NSIC volleyball!”

“Lily will be in her third year as a starting setter,” continued Hegerle. “She has a tremendous work ethic and is a student of the game. Lily is always looking for what her team and teammates need. Lily is competitive and doesn’t shy away from any challenge. She is also humble and empathetic which makes her a great leader.”

Bertsch played in 25 matches last season, averaging 6.05 assists and 1.96 digs per set.

The Jimmies open the regular season in Nashville, Tenn., at the Ray Thrasher Classic, hosted by Trevecca Nazarene University September 5-6.

2025 NSIC Volleyball Preseason Poll

1	St. Cloud State (8)	212
2	Concordia-St. Paul (4)	208
3	Southwest Minnesota State (4)	202
4	Wayne State	188
5	Northern State	170
6	Sioux Falls	133
7	Winona State	132
8	Minnesota Duluth	130
9	Minnesota State	123
10	Augustana	110
11	Jamestown	84
12	MSU Moorhead	77
13	Bemidji State	53
14	University of Mary	42
15	Minnesota Crookston	40
16	Minot State	16

 

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Fans will get their first taste of the 2025 roster when the Indiana volleyball team hosts its annual Cream and Crimson Scrimmage on Saturday, August 23rd at 2 p.m. in Wilkinson Hall. The event is open to the public with no tickets required to enter.
 
After graduating a large senior class in 2024, eighth-year head coach Steve Aird and is staff reset the roster with a fresh crop of prep products. IU’s seven-member freshman class was ranked No. 14 in the country by Prep Dig, making it the highest-ranked recruiting class in school history.
 
Led by consensus top-55 recruits and outside hitters Charlotte Vinson (Yorktown, Ind.) and Jaidyn Jager (Carlsbad, Calif.), IU was able to reload at every position group. Rounding out the newcomers is UCLA beach volleyball grad student Jessica Smith. She heads to Bloomington after a successful career in the sand with a track record of being a respected leader and an incredible passer.
 
The Hoosiers will play two sets to 25 points and one to 15 on Saturday (Aug. 23). It will serve as the final team scrimmage of IU’s fall camp ahead of the regular season opener in Coral Gables (Aug. 29) against Miami (Fla.). Fans will be treated to a live DJ, free giveaways and an autograph session after the match is concluded.
 
IU will make its regular season debut in Wilkinson Hall on Thursday (Sept. 4) against SEMO. Fans can purchase single game tickets HERE.