Parker Fox scored a season-high 21 points, Lu’Cye Patterson had 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists, and Isaac Asuma and Mike Mitchell Jr. each scored 18 points, but Minnesota (8-7, 0-4 Big Ten) found itself on the short end of a heartbreaking 89-88 decision in double overtime versus Ohio State at Williams Arena. Fox made 8-of-12 […]
Parker Foxscored a season-high 21 points, Lu’Cye Patterson had 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists, and Isaac Asuma and Mike Mitchell Jr. each scored 18 points, but Minnesota (8-7, 0-4 Big Ten) found itself on the short end of a heartbreaking 89-88 decision in double overtime versus Ohio State at Williams Arena.
Fox made 8-of-12 field goals and 5-of-7 free throws, finishing with his highest point total with the Gophers after transferring from Northern State. He added five rebounds and a pair of blocked shots in 40 minutes. Patterson played 48 of the 50 minutes, making 8-of-18 field goals, including 3-of-7 from long-range. True freshman Asuma came off the bench to make 7-of-11 field goals, including 3-of-4 three-pointers, finishing with a season-high 18 points, four rebounds, and three assists, and Mitchell Jr. knocked down four three-pointers as part of his 18-point night, while adding four assists and three boards.
Minnesota made 32-of-70 (.457) field goals, including 12-of-29 (.414) three-pointers, but was just 12-of-27 (.444) at the free throw line. Ohio State (10-5, 2-2 B1G) was led by 19 points and seven rebounds from Devin Royals, while Bruce Thornton had 18 points. The Buckeyes made 27-of-63 (.429) field goals, including 6-of-22 (.273) three-pointers, and were 29-of-33 (.879) at the line. Minnesota held a slim 43-42 rebounding edge.
Fox scored the first seven points for the Gophers and Mitchell Jr. hit a three-pointer, giving Minnesota a 10-8 lead at the first media timeout of the night. The Buckeyes briefly led by a point after a three-pointer from the corner, but Asuma and Patterson scored to reclaim a 14-11 lead for the Gophers. Ohio State went on a 7-2 run to take an 18-16 lead with 8:56 left, but Fox tied the game on a layup. After the Buckeyes grabbed a 22-18 lead, Patterson scored on a layup and Femi Odukale (five points, four rebounds) hit a corner three to put the Gophers back in front, 23-22, with 4:34 l3ft in the half. Ohio State’s 5-0 run gave it a 27-23 advantage, but Asuma connected on a three from in front of the Buckeyes’ bench and Fox scored on a baseline dunk to take a 28-27 lead to the locker room.
Fox led Minnesota with 11 first-half points, while Asuma had seven, and Patterson added four. The Gophers led despite leading scorer Dawson Garcia being held scoreless and second-leading scorer Mitchell Jr. having just three points at the break. Minnesota made 12-of-31 (.387) field goals, including 3-of-12 three-pointers, and had a 22-18 rebounding edge. Devin Royal led the Buckeyes with eight points. Ohio State was held to 10-of-30 (.333) field goals, including 3-of-15 (.200) three-pointers.
Ohio State began the second half by scoring the first four points to take a 31-28 lead, but the Gophers responded with a 7-2 run highlighted by a three-point play by Mitchell Jr. to put Minnesota up, 35-33. Ohio State pulled ahead 37-35, and then the lead changed hands six times, with Garcia, Asuma, and Patterson each hitting three-pointers in response to points at the other end for the Buckeyes. A 5-0 run for Ohio State gave it a 47-44 lead with 11:28 left, but Patterson scored on a layup, Mitchell Jr. drained Minnesota’s fourth three of the second half, and Asuma scored in the lane to put the Gophers up 51-47 and force an OSU timeout. At that points, the Gophers were 8-of-12, including 4-of-5 from behind the arc, in the second half.
The Buckeyes twice cut the lead to two points, but Mitchell Jr. connected on a three from the corner to give the Gophers a 56-51 lead with 6:35 remaining, and a trey from Asuma gave Minnesota its largest lead at 59-52. Ohio State scored twice to cut the Gophers’ lead to 59-56, and head coach Ben Johnson called a timeout with 4:29 left. A putback layup by Fox gave Minnesota a 61-56, but the Buckeyes scored four straight to pull within one with 2:37 on the clock. A free throw by Mitchell Jr. put the Gophers ahead 62-60, but OSU tied it on a layup with 2:02 remaining. Garcia missed a pair of free throws with 1:43 left, but Fox came up with a steal at the other end and Garcia wound up with the ball for a breakaway dunk to put Minnesota up 64-62 with 1:24 remaining. The Gophers turned the ball over on their next possession, and it appeared OSU had made a three-pointer to take the lead with less than 20 seconds left, but OSU coach Jake Diebler had called timeout to nullify the made field goal. Devin Royal scored on a dunk and was fouled with 5.3 seconds remaining, but he missed the free throw and the Buckeyes missed two shots in the finals seconds, sending the game to overtime. The foul with five seconds left was costly for the Gophers, as Garcia fouled out of the game with five points and six rebounds.
The Gophers opened the OT with a 6-2 run, including four points from Patterson, to lead 70-66 with 1:42 left. The Buckeyes cut it to 70-68, but Fox drained a fallaway jumper along the baseline with 0:59 on the clock to regain a four-point edge. A pair of free throws by OSU cut the lead to 72-70 with 0:44 left, and the Gophers turned the ball over with 23.5 remaining.
The Buckeyes returned the favor, turning the ball back to the Gophers with 14 seconds remaining, and Asuma was fouled on the inbounds pass. He hit the second of two free throws with 0:09 left, giving the Gophers a 73-70 lead, but the Buckeyes made three free throws to send the game to a second OT.
Ohio State quickly grabbed a six-point lead to start the second OT period, hitting a three-pointer and adding a three-point play, and then adding a layup to make it 81-73. Mitchell Jr. hit a jumper to cut the deficit back to six, but OSU stretched it back to 83-75 with two free throws. Fox scored on a layup and Kadyn Betts (one point, two rebounds) and Patterson each hit a FT to pull Minnesota within 83-79. Ohio State made all six of its free throw attempts in the final half minute, offsetting a pair of three-pointers from Patterson and another from Mitchell Jr., as the Buckeyes held on for the 89-88 win.
Minnesota hits the road for its next two games, beginning with a trip to Madison for a Border Battle matchup with Wisconsin on Friday, Jan. 10, at 6:00 p.m. on Peacock.
UCLA men’s volleyball reflects on effects of service errors on the court
This post was updated April 29 at 10:30 p.m. The service line often drives success in volleyball. It can make or break a set, match or even a season. And despite UCLA men’s volleyball’s struggles from the back line – committing a nation-leading 603 service errors and averaging 6.15 per set – the team continued […]
The service line often drives success in volleyball.
It can make or break a set, match or even a season. And despite UCLA men’s volleyball’s struggles from the back line – committing a nation-leading 603 service errors and averaging 6.15 per set – the team continued to flourish.
“Every team will tell you that it’s all about serving,” said coach John Hawks. “We spend time on our ability to tactically serve and exert pressure.”
Although UCLA has sported a .367 hitting percentage – the third-highest in the nation – the squad’s service line blunders have negated the attack’s contributions and have cost the team crucial sets and matches.
In the Bruins’ six losses this season, only one opponent recorded more kills. But the squad committed more service errors in five of those matches, including 26 in a four-set loss to Long Beach State on Feb. 7 and 28 in the MPSF Semifinal loss to Pepperdine on Friday.
Former UCLA head coach John Speraw talks to David on the court. Speraw, most recently led the Bruins to back-to-back national championships in 2023 and 2024. Speraw is now the President and CEO of USA volleyball, and led the national team from 2013 to 2024. (Edward Ho/Daily Bruin)
“It’s really hard to assess if it’s a great serve, and it depends on what the (opposing team) is doing,” said redshirt junior outside hitter Cooper Robinson. “We really want to dial in on serving.”
And even in UCLA’s triumphs this season, the backline has marred the team’s success.
The Bruins have committed more back line errors than their opponents in 17 of their 20 victories, making it harder to close out games.
Especially late in the season, the team’s service issues worsened
Four out of the Bruin’s last six games have been pushed to a fifth set, accruing 246 total kills across these five-set games while averaging 32.8 service errors per contest. During this stretch, UCLA set a season-high 42 service errors in its victory against Grand Canyon on April 5.
“I think that they’ll be the first to tell you that they got to be better from the service line,” Hawks said. “That’s a part of the game that’s going to improve, and we haven’t seen anywhere near where these guys are capable of going.”
The serving philosophy former Bruin coach John Speraw ingrained into the program may be the reason for UCLA’s persistent service shortcomings. The last time the team accumulated less than 500 service errors came during the 2021 season.
“As Bruins, the serving motto is to just go rip it,” said junior outside hitter Zach Rama. “That’s what got us these two past national championships.”
Coach John Hawks coaches and claps his hands from the sidelines at the Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu. (Selin Filiz/Daily Bruin staff)
Despite the errors, this service game plan has also contributed to the Bruins’ ace production.
UCLA boasted two-straight seasons where the group averaged at least 1.9 aces per set in 2023 and 2024, winning the national championship in both campaigns under the tutelage of Speraw.
And this season has been no exception, with Hawks embracing his mentor’s perspective.
“When you have to get a team off the net, you have to serve tough and take gambles,” Hawks said.
UCLA’s approach from the service line has helped it register 1.97 aces per set this year, which ranks fourth in the nation. And despite falling in the MPSF semifinals to eventual champion Pepperdine on Friday, UCLA delivered 15 aces in the affair.
The Bruins’ serving unit has been without steady contributions from senior Ido David, who has been hampered by a knee injury since February.
The outside hitter/opposite has amassed 126 aces across his four-year career at UCLA and has recorded 29 this season despite playing just 53 sets.
However, David’s accuracy seems to set him apart from the rest of the Bruins’ service arsenal.
The 2023 AVCA First Team All-Americanhas committed just 59 service errors this season, sporting a .49 ace-to-service-error ratio to complement his team-leading .55 aces per set.
David’s injury could sideline him from the NCAA tournament, leaving the squad’s back line without the serving consistency he provides among a seemingly inconsistent unit.
Just as matches are often won or lost from the service line, the Bruins’ three-peat hopes may depend on it as well.
San Marcos Girls Beach Volleyball Falls to Redondo Union in CIF Quarterfinals, 4-1 | Sports
San Marcos girls beach volleyball’s season came to a close with a 4-1 loss to Redondo Union on Tuesday in the CIF-SS Div. 1 Quarterfinals in Hermosa Beach. Redondo Union, the No. 3-ranked team in the nation, will be on the road against JSerra for the CIF-SS Semifinals on Thursday at 2 p.m. The Royals’ […]
San Marcos girls beach volleyball’s season came to a close with a 4-1 loss to Redondo Union on Tuesday in the CIF-SS Div. 1 Quarterfinals in Hermosa Beach.
Redondo Union, the No. 3-ranked team in the nation, will be on the road against JSerra for the CIF-SS Semifinals on Thursday at 2 p.m.
The Royals’ lone victory on Tuesday came at court two, where Sam Fallon and Evyn Miller battled to a two-set win, 22-20, 21-17.
“Passing, tough serving and creative offense were keys to defeating a very strong Redondo twos pair,” San Marcos head coach Tim Loomer said. “Finishing the season with a quality win was gratifying for the pair.”
San Marcos wraps up the team season with an overall record of 22-4. The Royals’ No. 1 pairing of Josie Gamberdella and Cora Loomer will continue their season at the CIF-SS Individual Pairs Tournament on May 6 and 7.
Next Game: at Ithaca 5/2/2025 | TBA May. 02 (Fri) / TBA at Ithaca History ROCHESTER, N.Y. – RIT junior Zoe Heffernan scored the game-winner with 1:43 remaining in overtime to lead the No. 3 Tigers to a 13-12 win over No. 6 St. Lawrence in the first round of the Liberty League Tournament, Tuesday. It is […]
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – RIT junior Zoe Heffernan scored the game-winner with 1:43 remaining in overtime to lead the No. 3 Tigers to a 13-12 win over No. 6 St. Lawrence in the first round of the Liberty League Tournament, Tuesday.
It is RIT’s first Liberty League Tournament win since the Tigers beat Skidmore in 2018 and will face No. 2 Ithaca in the semifinals.
Senior Lily DePalma led RIT with five goals and junior Morgan Nichter tallied three goals and an assist. Heffernan and junior Adele Jones each scored two goals and an assist and junior Jenna Bovenzi had three assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Keira Dodd scored with 10:07 remaining in the first quarter to give St. Lawrence the lead.
DePalma scored off an assist from Jones to tie the score at 1-1.
The Saints scored two straight goals, taking a 3-1 lead on Jessica LaPlaca’s free position goal with 6:56 to play in the opening quarter.
Nichter and DePalma scored back-to-back goals, tying the score at 3-3 on DePalma’s goal with 57 second remaining in the first.
St. Lawrence scored the first two goals of the second quarter, taking a 6-3 lead on Hamilton’s free-position goal with 9:10 to play in the quarter.
RIT ran off three straight goals, tying the score at 6-6 on Heffernan’s goal with 2:09 to play in the half.
Hamilton scored for the Saints with 18 seconds to play in the second quarter to give St. Lawrence a 7-6 halftime lead.
Cate Rathnam scored with 11:28 remaining in the third quarter to give the Saints an 8-6 lead.
Stephen scored a free-position goal to make it 8-7 and Nichter tied the score at 8-8 on her goal off an assist from Bovenzi with 9:06 to play in the third.
St. Lawrence tallied two straight goals taking a 10-8 lead on LaPlaca’s goal with 1:47 to play in the third.
Jones scored with 1:02 remaining in the third to cut the deficit to 10-9.
Jones scored 37 seconds into the fourth quarter off an assist from Bovenzi that tied the score at 10-10.
DePalma gave RIT an 11-10 lead on her goal with 10:42 remaining in the fourth.
Phoebe Spaeth tied the score at 11-11 on her goal with 9:20 remaining.
DePalma scored a woman-up goal with 7:57 to play to give RIT a 12-11 lead and Spaeth scored with 7:31 remaining to knot the game at 12-12.
Heffernan scored on a free-position shot with 1:43 remaining in the overtime to make it a 13-12 final.
GAME NOTES
RIT outshot St. Lawrence, 30-28
Junior Ellie Ruddy made three saves while first year Grace McDonald made five stops in the second half and overtime to earn the win in goal.
Senior Jane Hudson caused three turnovers and Jones had eight draw controls and four ground balls.
RIT was 20-of-24 on clearing attempts and won 18-of-29 draw controls
WHAT’S NEXT RIT returns to action on Friday (May 2) at Ithaca in the Liberty League Tournament Semifinal.
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AWARDS UCU Athletes of the Week » Michael Crossland (BSB), Varsity Eight – Kiera Cooper, Natasha Vallancey, Laine Bradley, Annica Ford, Samantha Anderson, Lily Feagler, Matti Key, Rachel Cuneo, Sabina Petersen (WROW) All Big West First Team » Anthony Cherfan, Bryce Dvorak (MVB) All Big West Honorable Mention » Josh Schellinger (MVB) #TRITONGIVINGDAY IS APRIL 30 Support the UC San Diego scholar-athletes by making a team-specific or […]
AWARDS
UCU Athletes of the Week » Michael Crossland (BSB), Varsity Eight – Kiera Cooper, Natasha Vallancey, Laine Bradley, Annica Ford, Samantha Anderson, Lily Feagler, Matti Key, Rachel Cuneo, Sabina Petersen (WROW)
All Big West First Team » Anthony Cherfan, Bryce Dvorak (MVB)
All Big West Honorable Mention » Josh Schellinger (MVB)
#TRITONGIVINGDAY IS APRIL 30
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BASEBALL(22-20, 11-10 BIG WEST) This Week » UC San Diego travels to face No. 8 UC Irvine—the Big West leader—for a three game series, Friday-Sunday.
Last Time Out » The Tritons won their mid-week game against LMU, 6-5. Then, over the weekend, they won two of three games to secure their first ever series victory over UC Santa Barbara.
Need to Know » Michael Crossland finished the week 6-for-16 (.375) with two doubles, three walks, five RBI and two runs scored to help the Tritons to a 3-1 week.
SOFTBALL(14-28, 12-12 BIG WEST) This Week » The Tritons will finish Big West play in Hawai’i, with one game on Friday and a doubleheader on Saturday.
Last Time Out » UC San Diego went 1-2 over the weekend against CSUN.
TRACK & FIELD This Week » The Tritons have just one final regular season meet left on the schedule. UC Irvine hosts the Steve Scott Invitational May 2-3, with The Big West Multis and Championships to come in the weeks following.
Last Time Out » The UC San Diego track and field team split up to take on three different meets. The Tritons competed in the Beach Invitational, Bryan Clay Invitational, and Mt. SAC Relays.
Need to Know » Over that weekend, the Tritons set five program records and had 16 marks in the top 10 all-time at UC San Diego. Nine Tritons reached the qualifying levels for The Big West Championships, and 29 personal-bests were set.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL (18-12, 3-7 BIG WEST) Last Time Out » The Tritons ended the season at the 2025 Outrigger Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship. There, they outlasted UC Santa Barbara in the quarterfinal round but were defeated by Long Beach State in the semifinal round.
Need to Know » Josh Schellinger set a new career high of 22 kills and 12 digs in the quarterfinal game.
WOMEN’S WATER POLO (16-13, 4-3 BIG WEST) Last Time Out » UC San Diego closed out the season in Irvine at the Big West Championship. They defeated UC Davis, 15-10, in the quarterfinal round to move to the semifinal round, where they were narrowly defeated by Hawai’i, 9-11.
Need to Know » Caroline Christl extended her goal-scoring streak to 24 games. She has scored in 29 of 30 games and netted multiple goals in 22 contests.
WOMEN’S TENNIS (11-11, 5-4 BIG WEST) Last Time Out » UC San Diego senior Adriana Tabares was a winner on court five, but the Tritons fell to UC Davis, 4-1, in the opening round of The Big West Women’s Tennis Championship
MEN’S TENNIS (7-14, 3-3 BIG WEST) Last Time Out » The Triton men made their first appearance in the Big West Championship last week. Their first match was in the quarterfinal round against Cal Poly, and they took a 4-2 win. Then, they played UC Santa Barbara in the semifinals and took a 0-4 loss.
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Players, coaches and recruits are feeling blindsided by the news that Grand Canyon University is discontinuing its men’s varsity volleyball program after 17 years. The GCU men’s volleyball team has been one of the best in the country, finishing 18-10 this year and making the NCAA Final Four in 2024. But the […]
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Players, coaches and recruits are feeling blindsided by the news that Grand Canyon University is discontinuing its men’s varsity volleyball program after 17 years.
The GCU men’s volleyball team has been one of the best in the country, finishing 18-10 this year and making the NCAA Final Four in 2024. But the team’s success wasn’t enough to save the program. School officials shocked the Valley sports world Monday when they announced that GCU is eliminating men’s volleyball.
Cole Duncanson played on the team this year and had one year left of eligibility. His plans now are to turn pro, but his teammates are left scrambling, trying to transfer to another school. “The younger players definitely took it the hardest,” said Duncanson. “I think because they came to GCU expecting to play four years of volleyball, and dedicate themselves to the program, day in and day out.”
The sudden announcement is also having an impact on incoming recruits like Thatcher Fahlbusch, from Mira Costa High School in the Los Angeles area. Thatcher’s father, Chad, can’t understand why GCU didn’t give them more notice, dropping the news on them just 30 days before graduation. “They pride themselves on being a school that has high morals,” said Chad Fahlbusch. “I think based on the activity of yesterday, they completely botched this, and have done a terrible disservice to our family and to the boys on that team.”
GCU posted this statement on its website:
A former assistant coach has started a petition drive to get GCU to reconsider and reinstate its volleyball program. GCU will be offering men’s volleyball as a club team.
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USA Volleyball tabs 3-time Olympic medalist April Ross to head beach coach with LA Games looming | Sports
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 […]
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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